tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773Thu, 07 Mar 2024 06:38:10 +0000Am I A Pundit Now?Random Republitarian Thoughts. With Fries On The Side. noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger331125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112924161527386118Thu, 13 Oct 2005 22:11:00 +00002005-10-13T17:13:35.280-05:00Permanent Blogging At WILLisms.com!Well, I have gone from guest blogger to permanent blogger at <a href=";! <p>
Will Franklin graciously agreed to have me aboard there, and the possibilities are overwhelming. The traffic I will have there is twentyfold what I have here, so this is definitely a step up.<p>
Until further notice, I am a pundit now!2005/10/permanent-blogging-at-willismscom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112831339780520320Mon, 03 Oct 2005 04:23:00 +00002005-10-02T23:23:17.853-05:00Guest Blogging At WILLisms.com!Once again, Will Franklin has extended to me the honor of guestblogging at <a href=";. <p>
Once again, I question his sanity and judgement. 2005/10/guest-blogging-at-willismscom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112767212234733860Tue, 27 Sep 2005 03:24:00 +00002005-09-26T10:20:16.276-05:00Carnival Of Revolutions<div align="center"><table width="9%" align="center" bgcolor="#990000" border="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td><img height="274" src="; width="200" /></td>
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</tbody></table>
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<p align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">Revolution!</span></p>
<p>There has been some big news from the Axis of Evil this week, as good cop North
Korea announces plans to renounce its nuclear weapons, while the International
Atomic Energy Agency is referring bad cop Iran to the UN Security Council for
its intransigence over its nuclear programs. Look for terrorism partners North
Korea and Iran to swap the good cop/bad cop role severals times over the next
few months - the two seem quite adept at coordinating their activities. </p>
<p>Also, check out the <a href="
for Cyber-Dissidents</a> from Reporters Without Borders. This is a must-read
for the novice <i>democratista</i> anywhere in the world rebelling against the
idea that it is the right of the government to tell you what to think. </p>
<hr>
<p><b>Armenia</b></p>
<p>Armenian activitist are torn over whether to support a referendum on November
20 regarding amendments to the constitution. The amendments, which would limit
the authority of the presidency, particularly the President's ability to fire
the Prime Minister at will, would smooth the way for integration into Europe.
However, <a href="
Krikorian</a> states that many feel that "the present government lacks the legitimacy
to amend a constitution that does not function not because it is flawed but
because there is the lack of the rule of law in Armenia." </p>
<p>There is more on the constitutional referendum <a href=";.
<br>
</p>
<hr>
<p><b>Burma</b></p>
<p>Iran is not the only country of late facing referral to the Security Council.
Burma, one of the most repressive states in the world, and a sponsor of terrorism
as well, may be up for referral also, according to <a href="
Pundit</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Cuba</strong> </p>
<p><a href="
Bad Hair Blog</a> introduces us to 'Universidades sin fronteras'(Universities
without boundaries), a dissident movement within Cuba seeking freedom of association
and expression for Cuba's college students. This movement is sponsored by Rolando
Rodriguez Lobaina, who was recently arrested for his activities and then released
a week later by Cuban authorities. That is a remarkably short time for incarceration
in the Gulag that is Cuba, and Fausta states that "Lobaina’s release
from prison, only a week after his arrest gives credence to the power, passion,
and conviction of the growing international youth network outside of the island,
aspiring for recognition of human rights and educational reform in Cuba. The
quick mobilization and response to Lobaina’s detention by groups such as
'Raices de Esperanza'and 'El Comité Internacional de Jóvenes por
la Democracia en Cuba' raised enough eyebrows to sufficiently concern the communist
regime, and proves that the voices and actions of Cuban sympathizers outside
of the island are being heard and making a difference."</p>
<hr>
<p><b>Global War On Terror</b> </p>
<p>Al-Qaeda issued a <a href="ri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD99305">broadcast</a>
lauding the "defeat of the Zionist occupation" in Gaza, and stated
that Hurricane Katrina was Allah's wrath upon New Orleans, a 'city of homosexuals.'
The statement also praised Zarqawi's work to "defend the honor of the pure
Muslim women in the robbed land of Iraq." Via the indispensable <a href=";
<hr>
<p><strong>Iran</strong> </p>
<p><a href="
Daily Briefing On Iran</a> has a roundup of articles regarding Iran's imminent
referral to the UN Security Council. </p>
<p>European military attaches <a href="
away in protest</a> from a military parade in Tehran. The EU members agreed
that, if the parade including any slogans that attacked their allies, they would
walk out. Sure enough, Iran marched Shahab-3 missiles by them with banners saying
'Death to America' and the Europeans walked. </p>
<hr>
<p><b>Palestine</b> </p>
<p>A large explosion of rockets killed during a Hamas demonstration killed 15
this week. Hamas blames Israel, naturally, but the PLA blames Hamas. <a href="
Head Heeb</a> points out that the PLA would have given kneejerk support to the
claim Israel was behind the blast if it were true. The fact that the PLA blames
Hamas' own negligence belies the truth of the matter. </p>
<p>The IDF has engage in <a href="
strikes and arrests</a> to root out the sources of Hamas rocket attacks into
Israel. </p>
<p><a href="
H. Sowell</a> warns us that the PLA is tattered and in disarray, and has authority
over virtually nothing and no one. To quote the <a href="
Post</a>, "The Palestinian Authority is crumbling, its leader Mahmoud Abbas
is too weak to enforce law and order, his Fatah party is in disarray and Hamas
is taking control of the Gaza Strip, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin said on Wednesday
during a rare on-the-record briefing with military reporters... <br>
"The Palestinian Authority is barely functional," Diskin said at his
headquarters in Ramat Aviv. "(Abbas) has no apparatus to control Fatah.
He is a general without soldiers. Giving him more weapons won't give Fatah strength.
He needs more motivation."</p>
<p>Preaching a message of doom and gloom for the prospects of a positive times
ahead, Diskin said the Palestinians were making enormous efforts to acquire
rockets and other weapons in the West Bank, smuggled in from the Sinai. He also
said the Shin Bet believes Islamic extremists who follow an al-Qaida ideology
were still targeting the Sinai resorts and that Israelis should stay out of
there... "</p>
<p>Kirk's <a href="; also presents
excellent weekly roundups of events throughout the middle east. </p>
<p></p>
<hr>
<p><b>Yemen</b> </p>
<p>Our friend Jane Novak of <a href="
of Liberation</a> certainly seems to be getting under the skin of the Saleh
regime of late. Jane has been blogging regularly on the tyrannical nature of
Yemen's government, and <a href="
press there is attacking her</a>, calling her a Zionist, as well as "a
Mason, a Yemeni man in disguise, a Hashemite, working for the CIA, working for
the Socialists, residing in al-Arabait, and a Docile Student of a Monkey Monk."
If one can be judged by the enemies one makes, Jane is a fine upstanding citizen
of the world. It is also a testament to the power of blogs that now even hidebound
reactionary states feel the need to respond to them. </p>
<p>Yemen too has a part to play in the Global War on Terror, and has <a href="
endeared itself to neighboring Saudi Arabia</a>, which complains that "all
weapons and explosives used by the Qaeda fighters were bought and smuggled from
Yemeni arms markets. Confessions of those arrested shown that they use Yemen
as a source of arms and transfer them over the border.”</p>
<p>Moreover, the evidence is piling up that Yemen is a <a href="
transit point</a> for terrorists infiltrating into Iraq. </p>
<p>And President Saleh <a href=";
Iran's nuclear program. </p>
<hr>
The Carnival of Revolutions Home Base can be found <a href=";, at <a href=";. Thanks Will!2005/09/carnival-of-revolutions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112734485865136133Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:20:00 +00002005-09-21T18:20:58.726-05:00Hamas Facing Reality?Hamas leader Mohammed Ghazal stated that the Hamas charter "is not the Koran" and indicated that the terrorist group might some day amend its charter to <a href=" language calling for the destruction of Israel</a>. <p>
This is a stunning development, the single sole tiny indication of moderation of any kind by this murderous cabal. <p>
(h/t <a href=";)2005/09/hamas-facing-reality.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112505474363644360Tue, 20 Sep 2005 17:45:00 +00002005-09-20T17:07:32.086-05:00The Case For Permanent Bases In IraqThe United States has 120 FOBs, or forward operating bases in Iraq, and plans
to build 14 permanent bases there, including airbases (there is even an alleged
'<a href=" Bushwhacker</a>'
somewhere in Iraq). Via <a href="; we can see the major bases already established there:
<p><center><a href= src="; width="670" height="491"></a></center> </p>
<p>Take a look at the powerful strategic position Iraq possesses on the world map. Historically Iraq has been strategic
not just for the middle east, but for the whole world - it is literally the
crossroads of the ancient world. Alexander crossed here on his way to India, and at the height of its power
the Roman Empire extended down the Tigris and Euphrates right to the Persian Gulf itself.The silk road had its terminus here.</p>
It was just about impossible to travel east or west through the fertile crescent without crossing through what is now Iraq:
<center><img src=";
<p>Iraq remains just as geographically and politically strategic today. Axis of Evil senior member Iran is pinned between Afghanistan and Iraq - both held by American
troops. On Iraq's flank is junior associate member of the Axis of Evil, Syria. This puts a tremendous incentive upon both of these regimes to be
on their best behavior.
While protecting the critical oil fields of Iraq, American and Coalition troops
are well-poised to quell any mischief in oil rich Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as
well, thus stabilizing the major energy resources of the entire world and putting them beyond the machinations of terrorists.
Moderate and weak Jordan enjoys shade from this umbrella of protection,
as do the Gulf States.
</p>
<p>Its location also makes Iraq great piece of flypaper. If you had to pick one country in
the middle east to serve as the center of gravity for jihadism, Iraq would serve
nicely. Lodged between the respective headquarters of shia and sunni jihadism,
Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iraq would be the absolute perfect locus to tie down terrorism if we could somehow pick up
Egypt and place it right next to Iraq as well. The symbolic value of controlling Baghdad, seat of the ancient caliphate,
and Najaf, theological center of shi'ite Islam, should not be underestimated. Granted, this is not the type of strategic
advantage one looks for - the Pentagon would prefer not to fight any insurgency
at all obviously. And the argument that if we don't fight them in the streets
there, we will be fighting them in the streets here is quite a stretch. If al-Qaeda
ever obtained an air force or navy powerful enough to force its way to our shores - which
is what it would take to deliver sufficient numbers of jihadists to wage an
insurrection here - then car bombs will surely be the least of our worries. </p>
<p>But,let's try to squeeze whatever possible lemonade we can out of this lemon
. . . having lots of jihadists dying while fighting experienced American and
Iraqi forces is arguably better than having jihadists spread all over the middle
east causing mischief in places not expecting violence, or subverting, co-opting
or forming partnerships with the tyrannies still at large there. Or planning
attacks against the U.S. </p>
<p>
We need permanent bases to properly house our troops and improve operations, and to avoid the utter disaster that befell South Vietnam once it collapsed.
Losing Vietnam allowed the genocide in Kampuchea to begin. Who knows what equivalent horrors (or worse)
would be unleashed if Iraq falls.
<p> Permanent bases will go from being the anchors that keep Iraq stable and free, to being powerful
projection points throughout the entire region once the insurrection is quelled.
In time, I suspect the average Iraqi will no more resent a permanent American presence on
their soil any more than the average German or Japanese does. Far from being the neocon imperialist
nightmare envisioned by the overly-imaginative Left, permanent bases in Iraq will be tangible evidence of our continued
commitment to a free and prosperous Iraq, and don't let the symbolic value of that for Iraqis and all the peoples of the region be underestimated either.
<hr>
Linked to Outside the Beltway's <a href=" Traffic Jam</a> - thank you!2005/09/case-for-permanent-bases-in-iraq.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112713293438690878Mon, 19 Sep 2005 12:28:00 +00002005-09-19T07:28:54.440-05:00North Korea Says 'No Nukes'North Korea has agreed to <a href=" up its nuclear weapons</a>, in return for an affirmation by the United States that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula, and that the U.S. has no intention to invade North Korea. <p>
Is the North serious? Who knows. <p>
It should not matter. The MSM should trumpet George Bush's phenomenal and unprecedented foreign policy triumph here--though of course they won't. Even if the agreement unravels (as it most likely will) the press habitually focuses on the image of success rather than the substance of it, and so the editorial pages of major newspapers across the land should be lobbying for Bush to get the Nobel Peace Prize. The Left wing should be patting Bush on the back for this major victory in the War on Terror.<p>
Does that sound ridiculous? Just imagine if Bill Clinton had achieved something like this. <p>
Perhaps though, in the most optimistic scenario, this is two members of the Axis of Evil down, one to go. Keep hope alive!2005/09/north-korea-says-no-nukes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112659202450395806Tue, 13 Sep 2005 06:13:00 +00002005-09-13T01:13:44.570-05:00Palestinian Troglodytes In ActionSpeaking of 'tolerance', here is a picture of Palestinians burning an abandoned synagogue in Gaza (via <a href=";). <p>
<center><img src=;
<p>
They destroyed three other synagogues as well. <p>
Touching--isn't it?--the respect and toleration these muslims have for other cultures and peoples? Isn't it marvelous to see this religion of PEACE and LOVE serving mankind? <p>
May I throw up now?
2005/09/palestinian-troglodytes-in-action.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112655572825343117Mon, 12 Sep 2005 20:08:00 +00002005-09-12T15:10:04.300-05:00The Liberal Tolerance MythAlright, this is perhaps an odd way to bring up this topic, but bear with me. <p>
Greg Gutfeld's latest <a href="; over at HuffPo really has a lot of commenters in an irate lather. One commenter in particular said that he hoped to meet Greg in a dark alley. Greg responded in his DOUBLE SECRET HIDDEN BLOG (in his bio) that he didn't know whether he should bring a knife or a condom to the alley. Better bring both just in case!<p>
Anyway, clearly this commenter is addled with hatred for Greg Gutfeld, and I am curious as to why a HuffPo commenter, no doubt with his liberal bona fides in order, would express a desire to do violence to Gutfeld. <p>
Where is that vaunted liberal tolerance?<p>
Don't liberals bleat endlessly about how tolerant they are? Aren't we supposed to be tolerant of everything, including those we disagree with?<p>
Including conservatives? If not, why not?<p>
After all, if tolerance only means toleration for those things which you already accept, that is not tolerance. That is agreement. Tolerance, properly, means putting up with those things with which you disagree. For example, if you are a liberal democrat who thinks civil unions are a great thing, you are not tolerating homosexuality. You are accepting of it, and perhaps even condone it. You do not earn liberal brownie points for being 'tolerant' of homosexuality if you see nothing wrong with it.<p>
Yet look at how vituperative liberals get when confronted with those things they actually do disagree with. The ire directed at evangelicals, Republicans and of course George W. Bush has reached dreadful lows never seen before in American political life. If you <em>merely voice support</em> for the administration in any way, you too like Greg Gutfeld have joined the evil and criminal cabal that runs this country. You have blood on your hands. You are a Bushbot. <p>
You deserve to be beaten up in an alley. <p>
To emphasize just how silly the liberal myth of tolerance is, let us properly apply it. We are supposed to be tolerant of those things with which we disagree. Are we then supposed to be tolerant of al-Qaeda? Nazis? Child molesters? Murderers? Liberals will quickly find ways to extract themselves from being bound to these examples. After all, they don't really believe this tolerance crap any more than conservatives do. <p>
The liberal tolerance myth is emblematic of liberalism itself. Liberals don't extend the hand of tolerance really, they merely pat themselves on the back with it. It isn't important to actually be tolerant, it is only important to be perceived as tolerant. That, my friends, is liberalism in a nutshell.2005/09/liberal-tolerance-myth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112615140499981702Thu, 08 Sep 2005 03:50:00 +00002005-09-07T22:59:32.446-05:00Corruption Killed New Orleans?How corrupt is Louisiana? Billy Tauzin once observed that "half the state is under water, the other half is under indictment." <p>
This history of corruption may be the proximate cause of the unravelling disaster that ultimately destroyed New Orleans. Policemen participating in looting rather than stopping it is merely the tip of this iceberg. <p>
Senator David Vitter had called for federal investigations into several Lousiana public utilities, among them the Orleans Parish Levee Board.<p>
The Levee Board was supposed to provide repairs and oversight of the levees. And so to further that end, they invested in, guess what . . .<p>
Casinos!<p>
That's right. Rather than raising taxes or floating municipal bonds to secure the levees, the Levee Board invested in a myriad of projects having nothing to do with flood control, with an eye towards feeding the patronage machine and rewarding political supporters.<p>
Where did the revenues go? No one seems to know.<p>
The <a href=" Free Press</a> asks an interesting question regarding this:
<blockquote><img src= New Orleans’s descent into quasi-revolutionary chaos be an indirect result of racketeering, kickbacks and procurement fraud by Democrat insiders with ties to a fast-growing organization called `La Francophonie’? </blockquote> <p>
And get this:<blockquote>
<img src= [which funds La Francophonie]was founded in 1968 by the ex-president of Power Corp. of Montreal, Maurice Strong, a paranoid, billionaire depopulationist who claims "rich, industrialized countries (America and the Anglosphere) are the greatest threat to the survival of the planet and therefore he, Maurice Strong, has a duty to force them into line. In the 1990s, Strong went on to become the godfather of the $trillion Kyoto trading scandal, with the financial clout to execute his dreams for La Francophonie. </blockquote>
Via the invaluable <a href=" Batchelor show</a>, featuring journalist Charles Gasparino of Newsweek.2005/09/corruption-killed-new-orleans.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112605670380495242Wed, 07 Sep 2005 02:31:00 +00002005-09-07T21:54:59.943-05:00Fixing The Katrina MemesI have to hand it to <a href=" Hewitt</a>, he was right. The Left's reaction to Katrina, rather than being a bounteous outpouring of that famous liberal compassion, was instead the Wellstone Memorial redux. <p>
Hugh advised that if your opponent is making a fool of himself, don't interrupt, so to speak. While of course there is wisdom in that, it is also prudent to amplify for all to see the foolery in which your opponent engages. <p>
I think the blogs have taken the lead in seeing that the odious memes cropping up about Bush's handling of this disaster have by and large not taken root. In fact, <a href=" Pruden</a> tells us that the disaster fallout has not harmed the President's standing with the American people.<p> An <a href=" News Poll </a>tells us that
<blockquote><img src= are broadly critical of government preparedness in the Hurricane Katrina disaster -- but far fewer take President Bush personally to task for the problems, and public anger about the response is less widespread than some critics would suggest:"
Two-thirds of those polled say the federal government should have been better prepared to deal with a storm this size, and three-quarters say state and local governments in the affected areas likewise were insufficiently prepared. <p>
Most Americans, 55 percent, also say President Bush does not deserve a significant level of personal blame for problems in the federal response to the crisis. And while 44 percent do assign him blame, only about half of those, 23 percent overall, blame the president "a great deal." </blockquote>
It is now becoming apparent that the Feds responded in a <a href=" and appropriate fashion</a>. The levee is already repaired, and engineers are <a href=" pumping water out</a> of New Orleans. FEMA seems to be the exception however, apparently the feds here <a href=" until after the storm hit </a>to call up homeland security agents.
<p>
It has also become clear now that Governor Blanco, in her failure to call up the National Guard, or really do anything other than break down and cry, is the main cause of the looting and savagery that befell New Orleans.<p>
As for Mayor Nagin, I think the picture of the buses sitting empty in flooded parking lots pretty much demonstrates in graphic fashion his culpability. <p>
<center><img src=; </center> <p>
There are <a href="; that Nagin has resigned. <p>
<a href=" Boortz</a> demonstrates how assigning blame is far more important to the Left than actually <em>fixing the problem</em>. <p>
<a href=" Stein</a> shows how ludicrous it is to blame President Bush for the largest catastrophe to ever hit the United States. <p>
Paul Krugman, as expected, has eschewed facts and common sense to reach the conclusion that the whole thing is Bush's fault. <a href="; and <a href=" Nuthouse</a> do a tag-team takedown of the worst pundit in America. The title of 'pundit' should be reserved for those with at least a tenuous grasp on facts and reality. Krugman needs to have his title revoked posthaste - he has reduced himself to a sorry self-parody of a frothing liberal hack. <p>
Am I politicizing the issue here? Hardly. Correcting the habitual lies of the Left is not politicizing, but rather <em>de</em>-politicizing the issue. <p>
There is nothing 'political' about the truth.<hr>
Linked to <a href=" the Beltway's Traffic Jam</a>, and to <a href=" Longday Linkfest</a>. Thanks!2005/09/fixing-katrina-memes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112601245321047862Tue, 06 Sep 2005 13:14:00 +00002005-09-06T08:32:29.450-05:00Filling the Rehnquist 'Slot'Yesterday, President Bush announced that Judge Roberts would be nominated for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court now that William Rehnquist has died. <p>
John Roberts, former clerk to Rehnquist, will be a pall bearer at the funeral. <p>
This spares us all from a third confirmation hearing, and the Left seems relieved that neither Scalia nor Thomas will be nominated for Chief Justice. We are likely to see opposition to Robert's nomination begin to wilt.<p>
The Left also thinks that Roberts is now filling the Rehnquist 'slot' rather than the O'Connor slot, and so we can now expect Democrats to demand a squishy nominee to replace Sandra Day, to preserve the 'delicate balance' of the Court. <p>
There are no 'slots', and there is no 'balance' that needs to be maintained--the President simply has the obligation to fill an empty seat on the bench, with whoever is qualified to interpret the Constitution. He is not charged with finding a carbon copy of each Justice to be replaced, nor is he charged with pleasing his political opponents. <p>
Thus, it would be a mistake for the President to announce a nominee until Roberts is safely on the bench. If Bush moves too soon, he allows the Democrats to compare and contrast the two for 'proper balance'--as if that should be the President's main concern in choosing a justice. Putting Roberts on the bench allows the President to state that the first seat open, vacated by Sandra Day O'Connor, has now been filled. He is then freer to nominate someone demonstrably to the right of Roberts is he so chooses, as is his right. Announcing another nominee before then just muddies the issue.<p>
<strong>Postscript:</strong>Look for the Democrats to stretch out the Roberts nomination as long as possible, and then to demand that Bush announce a nominee. They will have more power to try and nuke someone they don't like if they can compare her to Roberts. I am betting Bush will pick a woman, not because he happens to think that should be the prime qualification, but because he has many well-qualified and base-pleasing women he could nominate.2005/09/filling-rehnquist-slot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112580849894362523Sun, 04 Sep 2005 04:34:00 +00002005-09-03T23:35:38.986-05:00William H. Rehnquist, R.I.P.Making a tough week even tougher, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has <a href=" away</a>. <p>
Condolences to his family, friends, and the Court.2005/09/william-h-rehnquist-rip.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112564620145318998Fri, 02 Sep 2005 11:25:00 +00002005-09-03T01:46:15.026-05:00Hey, Katrina Crackpots, S.T.F.U.I am saddened and disgusted by the knee-jerk carping in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. <p>
Just disgusted. It is absolutely ghoulish to be flinging blame when the recovery has not even really begun yet. <p>
Of course <a href=" Islamists</a> see this storm as God's revenge. So do some <a href=" Christians</a>. Well, at least saying God caused it is placing blame where it belongs, so to speak. <p>
This following parade of clowns has no such excuse:<p>
Kevin Drum says it is the <a href=" of conservatism</a>. I used to respect this guy. <p>
The Huffington Post is of course attempting to corner the market on all obnoxious blather, starting with the Queen Of All Twits herself, Arianna. Her Highness blames the disaster on the <a href=" War</a>. <p>
One of her Mediocre Minions chimes in with one of the most <a href=" and brainless rants</a> ever uploaded to the internet.
<p>
Wow, here is a HuffPo blogger you have actually heard of! Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.unfortunately is given a platform simply because of his name, which he sullies by <a href=" Bush</a> for the disaster. <p>
Meanwhile in Europe, Green Party member Jürgen Trittin blames the disaster on our failure to ratify the <a href=" Protocols</a>. <p>
Wait, it gets worse! Randi Rhodes says that Bush wants to use Katrina to <a href=" Democrats</a>. <p>
I have just one message for these people:<p>
<center>
<img src=;
</center><p>
<strong>Ken Says:</strong> I hereby place this image into the public domain - please copy it and distribute it <em>liberally</em>. <p>
Also, just yesterday I told <a href=" Franklin</a> that it was too early to try and drain this cesspool, but while blog surfing last night my own mental levee just sorta broke. I couldn't take it anymore. Sorry Will for breaking my quasi-pledge to you, but a kind of grief and anger took over. This is not the America and the world I thought I knew.<p>
<strong>Update:</strong> I see <a href="; put together a better list than I did. <p>
Linked to Outside the Beltway's <a href=" Jam</a>.<p>
<strong>Update II:</strong> <a href=" Ruffini </a>shows us that the insanity has infected the Democratic National Committee. Not the Democratic Underground, but the DNC itself. Unbelievable.<p>
<strong>Update III:</strong> <a href=" Ed</a> is challenging bloggers to hold off from partisan bickering for a while. CQ is my favorite blog right now, and as much as I respect the Cap'n I am afraid I cannot abide. Here is what I wrote in the comments:<blockquote>
<img src= much as I admire the sentiment behind your idea to hold off on any partisanship, I cannot simply stand by and let the other side paint our President as an incompetent--or worse--without fighting back. I refuse to cede the ground to those who would plant this meme. I refuse to go back to the old days when the leftists could put out any dishonest message they liked without having it challenged.<p>
I challenge them on their bogus assertions-- and the ugly strains of racism, conspiracy theories and corporate greed now cropping up like weeds need to be exposed as the quackeries they are before they choke the discourse completely. <p>
I refuse to hand them the debate agenda. </blockquote>2005/09/hey-katrina-crackpots-stfu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112564795731789728Fri, 02 Sep 2005 07:59:00 +00002005-09-02T03:04:36.033-05:00Katrina Devastation<table width="47%" border="0" height="738">
<tr>
<td colspan="2" height="263" valign="top">
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<strong>Update:</strong> They rescued Fats Domino! <p>
<img src=;2005/09/katrina-devastation_02.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112558096872352784Thu, 01 Sep 2005 13:22:00 +00002005-09-02T02:03:00.683-05:00Katrina Wakeup CallI didn't think I had anything to add to the Hurricane Katrina story, and so I hadn't blogged about it, until now, because a dark thought hit me. <p>
We now know what it is like to <em>lose an entire american city</em>.<p>
I am not comforted by the outpouring of aid and compassion by the American people - I fully expected that. Americans always do this, it is our <em>modus operandi</em>, and so there is nothing extraordinary about it. <p>
I am even less comforted by the sizable segment of the American population that thinks the War on Terror is fake, misguided or wrong. Hurricane Katrina was unavoidable, but weapons of mass destruction purposely destroying an American city is quite avoidable.<p>
If we are vigilant. If we are <em>all</em> vigilant. <p>
<strong>Ken Says:</strong> <a href="; has posted a wide array of organizations accepting disaster relief funds.2005/09/katrina-wakeup-call.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112555875026366356Thu, 01 Sep 2005 07:12:00 +00002005-09-01T02:12:30.353-05:00Able Danger Hearings SoonAccording to the NY Times, Arlen Specter is going to hold <a href=" committee hearings</a> on Able Danger on September 14. <p>
Hat tip here to <a href=" One Minute</a>, which has done a very thorough job covering this story - if you are interested in the many twists and turns this story has taken to get to Capitol Hill, that is the place to start.
2005/09/able-danger-hearings-soon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112545800799711329Wed, 31 Aug 2005 03:13:00 +00002005-08-30T22:13:28.063-05:00Syria's Days Numbered?Three Syrian security chiefs and the head of Lebanon's presidential guard <a href=" arrested yesterday</a> in connection with the assassination of Rafik Hariri. <p>
Anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon including Walid Jumblatt have fled the country, fearing an assassination campaign by Damascus/Hezboallah/Iran. Hariri's son Saad has been in Paris for two weeks, fearing an attack if he returned to Lebanon.<p>
The sophisticated and in-depth forensic investigation of Hariri's death is getting close to proving that Bashar Assad ordered his assassination. There are rumors of wiretaps proving that Damascus ordered the killing.<p>
This is momentous - it is an <strong>act of war</strong> by Syria upon Lebanon. <p>
<a href=" Batchelor</a> had one question on his show regarding this situation: how long will it take Israel's 1st Armored Division to go from Eilat to Damascus?
2005/08/syrias-days-numbered.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112544724369098249Wed, 31 Aug 2005 00:14:00 +00002005-08-30T19:14:03.746-05:00Hither And YonYeah, like <a href=" Yon</a> has never heard <em>that</em> one before. <p>
Being the laggard that I am, I did not discover who Michael Yon was until last week. I found his blog, and read it from beginning to end - maybe the best damn thing I have read on a blog yet. <p>
The upshot: we are winning the war in Iraq. <p>
Maybe if more journalists in Iraq emulated Yon and actually left the hotel bars once in a while, we would get a more realistic view of what is happening there.
2005/08/hither-and-yon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112536320779845828Tue, 30 Aug 2005 00:53:00 +00002005-08-29T19:56:32.530-05:00Cindy Sheehan, Media FakeVia <a href="; we find this tender and spontaneous moment between Cindy Sheehan and Al Sharpton . . . <p>
<center>
<img src=;
. . . and a dozen or so of their closest friends in the media - is that David Duke somewhere in the background? <p>
<img src=;
Need any more evidence that Cindy Sheehan is an utter fake? Well, check out <a href=" account</a> from a conservative infiltrator at Camp Casey. Cindy Sheehan is not a grieving mother - she is a leftist media creature with handlers and her own public relations firm. <p>
Rightwing Nuthouse also asks a great question: <a href=" are all the protestors</a>?2005/08/cindy-sheehan-media-fake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112535524093863288Mon, 29 Aug 2005 22:40:00 +00002005-08-29T17:40:40.996-05:005th Columnist Inside HuffPoGreat. After I completely bailed out on the Huffington Post, I discover that there was <a href=" blogger there worth reading</a>. <p>
This is some of the funniest stuff I ever read on a blog. This guy skewers and deflates a lot of the sanctimonious mediocrities posing as 'bloggers' on HuffPo (which is, basically, all of them) and for some reason Arianna puts up with it. <p>
Greg's posts are always a twofer, because the tight-sphinctered comments by his detractors are nearly as funny as his posts. <p>
I think Arianna hasn't gotten rid of this guy yet because she would be too embarassed to admit she made a mistake in handing him the keys to HuffPo. <p>
Don't forget to check out his DOUBLE SECRET HIDDEN BLOG contained in his bio. 2005/08/5th-columnist-inside-huffpo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112528260291241961Mon, 29 Aug 2005 02:30:00 +00002005-08-28T21:30:05.796-05:00Men Smarter Than Women?There is a <a href=" study </a>claiming that men, on average, are five IQ points more intelligent than women. <p>
I don't buy it. No doubt feminist groups will be working overtime to discredit the methodology of this study, and will attack even the possibility that men might be naturally smarter than women. But even if the methodology were proven sound, I would discount it.<p>
We simply can't--and shouldn't--act as if one of the genders is smarter than the other. You never deal with an entire group of people in your life encounters, you deal with individuals one at a time. And individuals are just that, single souls with their own characteristics and personalities that are quite capable of lying anywhere along the bell curve. As a man it would not behoove you to treat any given woman you meet as less intelligent than you are just because of her gender, you would simply be cheating yourself and cheating her.<p>
The ugliest possibility of this type of study, if proven true, is that there will be calls for some kind of remedial social engineering to level the playing field. Or calls for some kind of paternal legislation aimed at protecting our supposedly less acute sisters. The mind reels with all sorts of horrid reactions to this type of discovery, nothing good can come of it. 2005/08/men-smarter-than-women.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112526764994907950Sun, 28 Aug 2005 22:20:00 +00002005-08-28T17:20:50.013-05:00Blogocracy"God made all Men, Samuel Colt made them equal." <p>
Gunpowder, and the cheap arms that use it, is one of the great levellers of history. It devastated the feudal system that depended on the expensive arms, armor and training of the feudal knight. <p>
It gave power to the people.<p>
Blogs are the information age equivalent of gunpowder - blogs are the great equalizers that are tearing down the gates controlled by the elites. <p>
What is the entry cost of starting a blog? Nothing. Not one penny. It costs nothing to maintain a blog, or make it grow. It has been said that the freedom of the press belongs to those wealthy enough to afford one. No longer. Blogs are extremely democratic, in that there are no barriers to entry, and all are welcome to try their hand at it. <p>
Not only are blogs democratic, they are also an inherently 'conservative' device, in that the blogosphere is a strict meritocracy governed by the laws of the market. You can only gain traffic and spread your memes if you write something worth reading. Whether by entertaining, informing or outraging their readers, bloggers have to fight for traffic. <p>
When you get rid of the editors and the marketers standing between the reader and the writer, you see the real face of whoever it is communicating with you. Far from pretending to be objective, bloggers make a point of coming at you with a certain attitude. And so the the difference between a top-down, inauthentic elitist philosophy such as liberalism compared to the bottom-up, real philosophy of conservatism becomes clear. I will put the quality, sincerity and readability of the big rightwing blogs up against the leftwing blogs any day. No contest - Captain's Quarters, Powerline, Vodkapundit, Volokh, and Instapundit simply blow leftists like Atrios and You-Know-Who out of the water. I defy anyone to make the case otherwise. 2005/08/blogocracy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112512447464404525Sat, 27 Aug 2005 18:08:00 +00002005-08-27T12:58:05.240-05:00Run, Rudy, Run!I voted in Patrick Ruffini's straw poll for Rudy Giuliani last month - and was surprised to see that George Allen was beating him (and everyone else) at the time. Ruffini has now closed his <a href=" straw poll</a>, and Giuliani has surged to take the lead with 30% of the votes. <p>
Why vote for Giuliani? The guy has demonstrated that he can get the job done under pressure, and unfortunately I think the odds will be fifty-fifty that our next president will be called upon to display just such fortitude.<p>
He is not ideologically pure. Far from being a detriment in his case, I think it makes him a pragmatist. He breaks with Republican ranks on issues when necessary, and not for the purpose of sucking up to the press as does John McCain. <p>
He will win. I don't care who the dems put up against Giuliani - Rudy will beat them with natural charm, charisma, quick wit and well-tuned political ear. He was on his way to drubbing Hillary Clinton in the New York senate race when he had to pull out, and he will trounce her again if they face off in a presidential run.
<p>
As for Giuliani's 'baggage' - please. We live in the post-Clinton era, and Democrats have lost any right to harp on anyone's personal failings. <p>
Rudy Giuliani is a candidate that will really get the Republicans fired up in a way none of the other candidates can, save Condoleeza Rice (Ruffini's 'fantasy candidate' winner) but - I believe Condi when she says she does not want to run. I don't think she will.<p>
In the end though, choosing Rudy is really a gut thing for me. I just trust the guy.2005/08/run-rudy-run.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112513586828987235Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:44:00 +00002005-08-27T04:50:13.746-05:00Sad, Sad, SadWhile perusing Michelle Malkin's site, I noted three stories in a row - <a href=" protestors at Walter Reed Hospital</a>, <a href=" news stories about a fictional veteran</a>, and <a href=" of two soldiers in Seattle</a>. <p>
What is the connection among these three sad stories? A complete and utter lack of respect for soldiers who protect our liberties.<p>
I wonder when leftist psychos are going to start spitting on soldiers--it is probably only a matter of time now, just to complete the whole 'Iraq is Vietnam' thing, you know. <p>
<strong>P.S.</strong>, there should be heightened penalties for any assault or battery committed against uniformed soldiers or guardsmen.2005/08/sad-sad-sad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8800773.post-112505668037401751Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:44:00 +00002005-08-26T06:44:40.380-05:00Drudge Was Right, UnfortunatelyI used to be a big fan of the Drudge Report--until he loaded up his site with so much crap that it started crashing my IE browser. Sorry, I am not switching to Firefox just for the privilege of being able to visit Drudge. <p>
Anyway, beware to any unwary blogger that links to Drudge before his stories are proven true. I was disgusted by the possibility that <a href=" story</a>, originally posted on Drudge a day or two ago, might be true. <p>
Sadly, it appears to be. 2005/08/drudge-was-right-unfortunately.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)