With the recent indictment of Tom DeLay for conspiracy, other corruption has become apparent such as with Harry Reid. Tom DeLay engaged in travel plans some consider unethical, however, in the aftermath of that scandal over 200 Congressmen (from both parties) has to “revise” their travel documentation. Regardless of party, one does not need to look far for corruption. The grassroots on both sides is not particularly enamored with it either.
Some think it’s the end of the Republican Party, but one only needs to look to Illinois to see how this will play out. Illinois has a governor with approval ratings even lower than President Bush. The current governor, a Chicago Democrat, got into office because the prior Republican administration is corrupt. When a Chicago Democrat runs on the platform to clean up Springfield and the voters buy it, you know you have problems. Now corruption is king (or rather still is king) and the Republicans are running on the platform of throwing out the Dem corrupt cronies. No one is buying so they Republicans are drafting a favored governor (Jim Edgar) from yesteryear to run again. The only problem is that he taught George Ryan everything he knows and while corrupt, wasn’t as extreme as Ryan. That aside, Jim Edgar has announced he wants nothing to do with it.
My suggestion to deal with DeLay’s supposed corruption? (Supposed because it took, what, 6 grand juries to find anything on him?) Massive blood-letting. Let’s have both parties, everyone from the top all the way down to village dog catcher engage in a legal battle royale of corruption investigations. No matter where you are on the political spectrum, you think some political officials are corrupt. It’s time to get this all out on the table because you know several hundred Congressmen have some crimes they want to hide. We can talk about some of the prior scandals (the House banking scandal for instance) but let the gloves come off and drop the “good ‘ole boy” attitude and let them viciously attack each other in the criminal system.
One, it will go a long way to getting to corruption and waste out of government. Politicians get away with this because they never pay the piper. Take a look at the highway bill and how much pork and vote buying is there. If you want corruption out of politics, this is what it takes. I may be conservative, but I’m no fool. I know there are corrupt Republicans out there, and its time for them to pay the piper too.
Two, it emphasizes and underscores why we need limited government. Government needs to be big to be corrupt. If it doesn’t have $2.2 trillion dollars to throw around, it becomes much harder for them to get companies to start bribing them. There aren’t kickbacks on the $1,000 orders I do for work, for good reason. It’s time to downsize the government and let the local entities do the social work of government. At the lowest level, we can at least keep an eye on them. I know where the mayor of my town lives and I can call him up at home right now. Good luck trying to get in touch with the President. Or Tom DeLay for that matter.
This presents a golden opportunity for those who believe in limited government. There are greedy people in the world and they want money and power. A massive corruption investigation, top to bottom, complete with jail sentences will make politicians have second thoughts the next time they want to shovel some cash to contributors to their campaigns. If I stole $500, I’d be doing time right now. It’s time for those who have stolen so much more than that and wasted the rest to have their day in court.
Said jcb @ 1:30 pm Comments (2) | Permalink
Or
Let My People Go!
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” 14th Amendment Section 1 of the US Constitution
Now keep in mind the reason for the drafting and ratification of this Amendment. The 14th was one of the first “Civil Rights” Amendments passed in 1867 and ratified in 1868. Post Civil War Civil Rights legislation was meant to apply all the rights and privileges to all US citizens.
At issue from my point of view is the 1st Amendment and the “Establishment Clause.” The Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Now, how can Congress’s restriction on creating a law establishing a national religion be applied to the states? And even if it did, how does this apply to the use of public lands for a Christmas display? Did Congress make the decision for the use? Did the State Legislature? No, the town or city did.
I’m not a big fan of implied references. Either the law says what it means and means what it says, or it says nothing at all. And the ACLU’s prostitution of this Amendment for their warped agenda belittles the reasoning behind the adoption of the Amendment.
With a broad interpretation of any two words in the English language, someone looking for a particular meaning will find it eventually. And the ACLU counts on this broad interpretation of the Constitution and the 14th Amendment in particular.
The 14th has been used for everything from Roe v. Wade to a recent decision barring school children from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. It is the most over used and abused of all 27 Amendments to the Constitution. And the reason is the broad implications, to borrow the leftist terminology.
The need for the Amendment was to establish that former slaves would be granted equal rights under the law of the land post Civil War. Not to bar the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance before classes begin for the day.
There is an ancient cliche that states, “The needs of the many out weight the needs of the few, or the one.” But try applying that to liberal thinkers. There may be 1 Atheist within 1,000 miles of a cross on public display. If this singular Atheist has to be exposed to this cross one time in his life, he has grounds under which to file a Civil Rights lawsuit claiming his offense. And down comes the cross. Think this is far fetched; take a look at the Mt. Soledad memorial fight going on in San Diego California.
Another Atheist is offended by the inclusion of the words Under God in the Pledge of Allegiance and starts his campaign to personally remove it from being recited by school children. He files suit claiming that the offense of having his daughter exposed to this inhumanity so damages her and him that they require damages from the State of California for “forcing” her to recite it every morning.
The federal judge discovers that the Atheist (who’s an attorney by the way) didn’t have custody of his child and dismisses the case. So the Atheist goes shopping for a client to proceed with and finds one. This time, the judge issues the state a cease and desist order to halt the practice citing that the state violates the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment as applied to the state in the implied applications outlined in Section 1 of the 14th Amendment. (Is anyone saying BS by now? I am.)
The ACLU’s full court press against organized religions in this nation is leading a great movement on the right. Each week more and more individuals join my other major project citing the ACLU’s war on Christianity. But to be fair, it’s not just Christians that the ACLU have in their sights. Jews are also a major target for them. Interesting especially since the President of the national board of the American Civil Liberties Union is a Jew.
My personal feelings on religion are such that I don’t care if you worship or not. Or to whom you pray or not. My interest is in the application of laws to restrict the free exercise provisions of the 1st Amendment by the federal courts when their involvement is not warranted.
As Moses said to Pharaoh, “Let my people go.”
Blogger’s 1st Amendment Pledge
If the FEC makes rules that limit my First Amendment right to express my opinion on core political issues, I will not obey those rules.
Gribbit is a contributing writer at Stop The ACLU and the co-founder and administrator of Stop The ACLU BlogBurst.
Said Gribbit @ 12:34 pm Comments (1) | Permalink
Do you realize that the (whacked-out, delusional, hallucinating) icons of the Left are really incredibly Anti-American, anti-freedom, and anti-”liberal”? Do you realize that they are not "pro-peace" so much as they are "anti-victory"?
Jay Tea over at Wizbang notes that "our" side is not PRO-war so much as we are PRO-victory. We realize that we are in a nasty, terrible, vicious war against unscupulous opponants, but the Cindy Sheehans cannot comprehend the value and high moral calling that our country is following in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We are fighting to free people so they may choose how they want to live and be governed. Our men and women in the armed forces honorably dedicate their careers to the ultimate service: bringing freedom, democracy, and self-determination to countries oppressed by tyranny, prejudice and fundamentalism.
Our country is a target for Islamic jihadists because we are the "Great Satan." And why? Because the highest ideal of our country is that culture, religion, skin color don’t matter — if you are willing to work, and to live in peace with your neighbors, this country is the best place to succeed and generate wealth and a better life for your children.
In Islam, there is no compromise, no co-existance, no peace. If you do not submit to their worldview, you have no rights and you will be destroyed.
Our men and women in the military carry the flag of freedom to all the world. In Iraq, they live our culture of co-existance in peace and mutual benefit. They live acceptance, they breathe the rule of law, and they combat hatred and predjudice wherever they go. It seems to me that the liberals would jump on board the Freedom Train with enthusiasm to support these ideals!
But, no… For reasons I truly cannot understand, liberals cannot honestly support our troops when they bring freedom to women so they may vote, go to school, and show their faces without fear. Liberals cannot seem to cheer our troops on when they displace and capture a tyrant who revelled in torturing his people. Liberals cannot seem to joyfully welcome arabic people who want to choose their destiny by forming a democratic government. Liberals have no satisfaction when the ruthless murderers of innocents meet ultimate justice.
Liberals cannot give honor, respect and support to the men and women in the uniform of the United States of America who sacrifice every day to make these dreams of freedom come true all over the world, because for some reason they cannot appreciate and cherish the basis of American culture.
Cindy Sheehan and her ilk desecrate the foundational concept of this country
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
In denying the ideals of our Founders, moonbat-liberals deny the value and vocation of our men and women in uniform. When they dismiss the choice their sons and daughters make to give their lives for this country and the cause of freedom and democracy for all people, liberals blaspheme the foundation of their "movement" and desecrate the willing sacrifice of the heroes of the United States.
Don’t do that. These men and women serve willingly and with full awareness of the dangers - don’t diminish them!
Where can you go to honor these men and women? Try
the USO … and many others.
Respect them. Honor them. Cherish them… They guard our freedom, and they have purchased the freedom of countless millions with their dearest blood.
(Crossposted at CatHouse Chat)
Said Romeocat @ 4:56 am Comments (3) | Permalink
It is official, John G. Roberts has been Confirmed by the Senate to become our next Chief Justice of the United States by a vote of 78 - 22.
Now all that needs to be done, is the swearing in of our next Chief Justice. Congratulations John G. Roberts, we all have high hopes for our future.
21 Senators Announced their intention to vote no ahead of time All Democrats:
Bayh
Biden
Boxer
Cantwell
Clinton
Corzine
Dayton
Durbin
Feinstein
Harkin
Inouye
Kennedy
Kerry
Lautenberg
Mikulski
Obama
Reed
Reid
Sarbanes
Schumer
Stabenow
There were 2 who did not announce a head of time:
Akaka (D-HI) Voted - No
Rockefeller (D-WV) Voted - Yes
The swearing in ceremony is expected to be held around 3:00 pm today at the White House.
Crossposted at STOP THE ACLU
Said Jay777 @ 11:16 am Comments (5) | Permalink
The alarm over a possible bird flu (or avian flu) pandemic has been pretty well dismissed by the mainstream media in recent months, though you see the odd story here or there. In view of hurricanes Katrina and Rita there has been less and less interest among the American press in covering this story (while instead they shamelessly mis-covered the hurricanes). Trouble is, an avian flu pandemic would be a catastrophe that would unabashedly dwarf the human loss and disruption from all of this year’s international hurricanes and cyclones combined. Now with the oh-so-trustworthy headlines being snagged (again) by Roberts and DeLay, one wonders if there is hope for bird flu news to catch anyone’s attention.
When I first wrote on this topic, it was with venom directed toward China for her carelessness at having eliminated one of the few antiviral drugs from the international arsenal. But later I was only cautiously concerned with the chances for a full-blown pandemic. The days of such cautiousness are now long gone. Rick Moran at Rightwing Nuthouse is about the only blogger I know of who has kept a full-court press on this issue since it came to international attention earlier this year. He, of course, has been limited by the general dearth of news. In his latest post on bird flu, he reports with news links and commentary on how Jakarta, Indonesia is home to a nascent bird flu epidemic:
Previously, humans infected with the virus were found mostly in rural areas of Viet Nam and Thailand. The outbreak in Indonesia’s largest city means that essentially, we are now at the mercy of whatever evolutionary track the virus takes. At the moment, Bird Flu can only be spread from human to human by direct contact with an infected person and either their waste products or saliva, blood, or other infected secretions. At least, this is the best guess of the experts.
The problem with a Bird Flu outbreak in a city of 12 million people boils down to simple mathematics. Each time the virus infects another human it has the opportunity when reproducing itself to mutate – change its genetic code – so that instead of spreading by direct contact it would be possible to become airborne and spread via casual contact just like any other strain of flu.
It goes without saying that having 12 million chances for the virus to mutate is extremely worrying.
Some might call this alarmist and over-reaching, say that we’ve got plenty of other disasters and issues to deal with just now. And I’d call them idiots. Speaking with my Dr. Biologist hat on, I for one know that Mr. Moran is right to be very, very afraid. Do read his post and the entire Rightwing Nuthouse bird flu archive for particulars on the troubling logistics of attempting preventative treatment in even a city the size of Jakarta, let alone the whole planet.
With this backdrop, I praise The Washington Times for its avian flu one-two punch today: an editorial titled “Avian Flu, Bioterror and Washington” and a commentary by Sen. Bill Frist titled “The Threat of Avian Flu.” The themes that both articles drive home is one of a lack of preparedness, and not only at the infrastructural level but the governmental and legislative as well.
From the editorial:
…[T]he avian flu is just one of many potential biological problems — whether natural or man-made — that we must grapple with. To deal with the avian flu and the others — anthrax, smallpox and radiological threats, to name three — the United States must update the 2004 Bioshield law. That law was a good start, but not nearly enough.
[…]
On the avian flu, Mr. Frist lamented the lack of “an effective vaccine and a robust antiviral stockpile” in a Tuesday letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt, noting that each problem is “complicated by a weakened domestic manufacturing capacity.”
The common theme here is that government is not doing enough to create favorable conditions for companies building the compounds we need. Clearly, these are all public goods which the national interest requires we produce. It’s time for Congress to create a stronger Bioshield program that creates the market needed to bring them into existence.
From Frist’s Op-Ed column:
At a glance, some may dismiss the avian flu virus: Only 59 people have died from it over the past two years and fewer than 120 have become infected. So far, humans infected with the avian flu have not transmitted it to other humans. Thus far all known human cases have happened far away.
But the avian flu may not remain trivial for long. The virus — known as H5N1 — changes very quickly. Humans have no natural immunity to it. And infected birds may be able to transit it before they show symptoms. Any virus with these characteristics could devastate the human population while causing massive economic and social chaos.
[…]
The avian flu poses a serious risk to our nation’s health and security. Every medical worker, public health specialist, parent, and, indeed, every citizen, needs to think about how we can confront it. Right now, preparing to face a pandemic should rank very high among our nation’s priorities. And, for the safety of its people, our nation needs to act now.
Frist puts it about as clearly and articulately as anyone in public service could, and with the authority of being a physician as well. Though neither our Surgeon General (we have a Surgeon General?) nor President Bush have spoken out on this matter so as you’d notice, at least Sen. Frist seems to have stepped up the pressure… even, God forbid, with the Katrina and Rita disasters still to sort out.
How many times can it be said: Mother Nature is one heckuva powerful force. We saw it in the mere winds and thermal energy converted into cyclonic powerhouses, equivalent to millions of megatons exploded every day that Katrina and Rita churned over the gulf. My prayer is that we don’t have to witness her resilience and strength yet again in the subtle beauty of a parasitic virus quite capable of mutating into an international catastrophe. To thwart this threat will, of course, require mankind to use it’s God-given brains and resourcefulness. We can’t begin to stop a hurricane, only guard against it. But we can at least work to prevent a global avian flu pandemic.
4 OCT UPDATE: Thank goodness, it seems that the U.S. is actually taking the avian flu threat seriously now.
Originally posted at TMH’s Bacon Bits
Said The MaryHunter @ 6:11 am Comments (4) | Permalink
The saying goes; a motivated prosecutor could indict a ham sandwich if they wanted to. Tom Delay has been indicted on conspiracy charges after years of this prosecutor trying. First it was Abramoff, but after realizing that scandal implicated Democrats (in fact over 200 Congressmen started “fixing their paperwork”) and it was ok’d by the House of Representatives lawyers, they had to drop that one. Now they got a conspiracy charge that was cooked up to give this prosecutor jurisdiction he would not otherwise have. That’s not to say that he’s innocent, but it is to say that the Democrat’s plan to power is not to beat Republicans at the polls, it’s to invent charges against them. Call it the Rush Limbaugh treatment.
Here are some quotes from Democrats on the development:
But Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic leader, called his indictment “the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people”.
And from Tom McMahon of the DNC:
People ask what the difference is between the two parties, and this indictment gives one clear answer.
Republicans are committed to pushing the legal limits to collect checks from special interests who want to use government for their own narrow purposes. Democrats are committed to funding our party with contributions from ordinary Americans so that when we take power, the government will represent the people.
You can make your personal commitment to changing the culture of corruption by getting your Democracy Bond — a monthly commitment to contribute to the Democratic Party:
Need we bring up some examples of Democrat corruption?
These people are all rich before they get into office and they take large pay cuts once elected, so they take perks. This isn’t something that is a Democrat or a Republican agenda because both parties are guilty of it. Need we bring up former disgraced Presidents that committed perjury?
The message the DNC is sending out is, “Get the corrupt Republican cronies out of office! We want our corrupt cronies in!”. That’s about as intelligent it is. And to be fair, that’s exactly the platform of the Illinois GOP against the Democrats in ’06. It swings both ways, but as a state that’s about to go on two consecutive governors in two terms getting indicted (who were from opposing parties) let’s at least be honest about corrupt being a political value, not a partisan value.
The lesson for the GOP, however, is that conservativism pays. If you are doling out millions in pork, eventually the money is going to get traced back to you. You won’t ever get bought or bribed if you aren’t in the business of wasting taxpayer money. The timing of DeLay announcing that fiscal conservativism is dead is nothing short of ironic here.
Said jcb @ 8:09 pm Comments (4) | Permalink
In a truly astounding display of bigotry and arrogance, The Times relates the findings of a study that started with the irrefutable (for some) premises that (a) America is excessively religious and (b) America is a horrible place, and arrived at the conclusion that religious belief causes damage to society.
Religion is held accountable for increasing the rates of murder, abortion, sexual promiscuity, and suicide. I’m not kidding, and apparently neither is The Times. If the lie is outrageous enough, people just might believe it — especially if they want to believe it, which Times readers presumably do for such an appalling piece of garbage to make it into their publication.
The study, which appeared in the American academic journal Journal of Religion and Society, wears hatred of America on its sleeve. “Many Americans agree that their churchgoing nation is an exceptional, God-blessed, shining city on the hill that stands as an impressive example for an increasingly sceptical world,” the author Gregory Paul curls his lip to sneer, before gloatingly declaring that “the United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so.”
Paul’s clever research was able to discover that “the least devout nations were the least dysfunctional.” Due to an alleged high incidence of syphilis, gonorrhea, and abortion in the USA, Paul couldn’t avoid the logical conclusion that these problems are caused by faith. After all, according to Paul, “The study shows that England, despite the social ills it has, is actually performing a good deal better than the USA in most indicators, even though it is now a much less religious nation than America.” Paul found the disparity even greater when comparing the “dysfunctional” US with dreamy places like France.
“I suspect that Europeans are increasingly repelled by the poor societal performance of the Christian states,” Paul sniffed. “The Christian states” in this context means the United States.
Personally I suspect that decent people, religious and otherwise, are increasingly repelled by pompous moonbats who try to pass off their bigotry as science.
Hat tip: Drudge Report.
Cross-posted at Moonbattery.
Said Van Helsing @ 4:51 am Comments (7) | Permalink
The #2 Al Qaida terrorist was shot dead by U.S-Iraqi forces conducting a raid. Good riddance, and I hope he enjoys his stay in Hell. As Blackfive says, “NEXT!” I had a visual in my head of that waiting room in Beetlejuice for the dead, and I’m seeing that terrorist walking up to the desk…”Yes, I’d like to know where my virgins are….what? I don’t get any? It was all a lie?…” That makes me chuckle.
Meanwhile, do you think our systematic dismantling of the terrorist network over there is making the dingbat protestors here rethink their strategy? Of course not. In fact, as Jason Smith points out, they’re lying about their protests in order to make themselves appear more widespread. Unfortunately, there’s such a thing as a “blogger”, and those pesky bloggers shine lights on the rats in the corner who hope you don’t see them. Make sure to read Jason’s post - he’s got some pics and the real stories behind them, including some (more) examples of “Troop supporters” giving big loving shout-outs to terrorists everywhere.
Global Cop has some amazing pics. The most touching one for me is the photo of antiwar socialist pissants screaming “Go sign up!” to a row of men. One of them has taken off his prosthetic leg he wears now and is holding it up as if to say “See this, @$$hole? I’ve already been there.” Personally, I think he should have beat them with it. But that’s me.
Howdy, who used to be one of my favorite Marine Corps pilots in Iraq, is now my favorite Marine in DC. He attended, but he saw different things. He saw the hate and the idiocy, yes, like the little boy holding a sign that said “Doing my best to piss off the religious right.” (There’s that whole ’some people shouldn’t get to have children’ thing again.) But instead of getting caught up in the anger and hatred, Howdy talks about the stuff that really matters.
I went to the World War II Memorial just after sunset. What I saw was very interesting. I saw older vets being helped down the ramp to the water by their middle-aged kids. They each would glance over their shoulder towards the anti-war stage where rhetoric largely aloof from reality of protecting a young military member’s life, poured out of the sound system propelled by angry speakers. These aged vets looked hurt, confused and unmistakeably annoyed. Some protesters were citing Palestine’s plight and their right to go home. Some were spouting that the troops in Iraq somehow were misallocated and should have been home to hand out goods and services in the gulf states…
…I went to see Mr. Lincoln. I bought patches and pins from the POWs of America right by the steps. Mr. Lincoln always makes me feel better and knows what the stakes are and what place ugly war has in nation building.
I went to the Vietnam Memorial and saw Jimmy Spencer’s name on the Wall. I etched his name just like I did in 1988 the day I got out of Officer Candidate School. I watched a Marine vet standing silently at the apex. He was right where he needed to be and was in no hurry to leave.
I overheard a vet telling his wife of a Navy corpsman who held a Marine all night in Vietnam while he died. “Doc _____ was a good man” he said stoically and as effortlessly as he could muster.
Guys I heard the loudest on this night spoke without signs nor speakers.
The above post was part of the Round the Reader posted at Euphoric Reality.
Said Kit Jarrell @ 11:11 pm Comments (1) | Permalink
This article originally appears in The American Thinker
There is a school of thought that believes the idea of loyalty to one’s country is a crass, outmoded concept not worthy of consideration by thinking people. Rather, loyalty if given at all, should be reserved for nebulous and ethereal entities like “humanity” or “the family of man.” International socialism has long advocated this global view of loyalty - except, of course, when the old Soviet Union was in trouble for one of its frequent deviations from civilized behavior. It was at this point that Moscow would crack the whip and leftists from Berlin, to London, to Los Angeles would dutifully parrot the party line, excusing the brutes in the Kremlin for all sorts of very unsocialist and inhuman atrocities.
Thankfully, this view of loyalty is not shared by the vast majority of citizens in the United States. Most Americans recognize the importance of loyalty to the government during a time of war when America’s sons and daughters are in harm’s way. This has never been more evident than when looking at how we view the war in Iraq.
According to the latest polls, barely 40% of the country approves of the way that President Bush is conducting the war in Iraq. But when asked if we should pull our troops out before the job of securing the country and helping the Iraqis achieve a stable, democratic government is complete fully two thirds of Americans say no. This slap in the face to the leftist narrative of how the American people see the war in Iraq seems to have been lost on this past weekend’s partygoers in Washington whose speakers continued to insist that the majority of the people opposed the war and wished the troops to come home.
Leave it to the left to never let the truth stand in the way of a good old fashioned Soviet-style propaganda campaign.
True, there are permutations within permutations in the poll numbers. One of the more remarkable tidbits to be found in these figures is the fact that the belief that the war was a “mistake” because no mass stockpiles of WMD were found has hovered near the 50% mark for more than a year. What makes it remarkable is that even though roughly half the nation thinks going into Iraq was an error, a sizable portion of those people also believe we should stay until the job is done.
The left would point to these Americans and call them confused. I think they should be congratulated for their loyalty. What the left sees as stupidity, I see typical American common sense. Most Americans - even those who opposed going to war in the first place - realize the dire consequences of a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq. The destabilization and possible collapse of the Iraqi government would place America in great danger and would be inimical to our national interest. This fact is so obvious that it calls into question why almost all of the speakers at the anti-war rally in Washington on Saturday called for the immediate withdrawal of American troops.
To understand why one need only look a little closer at the motley collection of socialists, anarchists, anti-globalists, pan-Arabists, post modern deconstructionists, one worlders, and racialists who descended on Washington for their moment in the media spotlight. If there’s one thing the tatterdemalion left has become over these last lost years since the fall of the Soviet Union it is publicity deprived. They are absolutely starved for media attention. Even the anarchists can’t have a decent riot that hardly rates a blurb in The Guardian. Part of the problem is the fractured nature of their “coalition.” The only way they could get the kind of numbers necessary to get anyone to pay any attention to them was by inviting everyone in the world who has a grudge against America.
Hence, most of the podium speakers at the rally were not there to solely promote an anti-war agenda but rather each had their own particular anti-American ax to grind. The racialists called for an end to racism. The tribalists called for an end to capitalism. The primitives called for an end to industrialized civilization. The greenies called for an end to everything else. Yes, they all paid lip service to the anti-war message that brought them together in the first place. But their real reason for bringing their followers to Washington was to garner support from the hard-left moneymen like George Soros and leftist PR gurus like David Fenton who is currently managing Cindy Sheehan’s race toward obscurity. A few dollars here and there gleaned from the Smart Set in Washington will at least keep the mimeograph machines going and pay the rent for a few more months.
Not surprisingly, there was very little talk of loyalty. When “patriotism” was brought up, we were continually assured that yes, these were indeed patriotic Americans who only wanted to exercise their right to dissent from government. Of that, I have little doubt. The question isn’t whether they are patriotic Americans, the questions is are they loyal Americans?
The two terms are related but not mutually exclusive. Patriotism is a feeling, a “love or devotion to one’s country.” Loyalty, by definition, is an action word. It is “allegiance to one’s country” or “faithfulness to one’s government.” Many a traitor has come and gone calling themselves “patriots.” Few would agree that they were being loyal.
How does the left get around this little non-sequitur? They huffily point out that they are being loyal to the “idea” of America or “American ideals.” Since these ideals were present at the founding of the nation, it is perhaps gratifying that so many on the left have finally embraced the idea of strict constructionism - at least when it becomes a convenient explanation for their perfidy in giving aid and comfort to an enemy that is shooting at American soldiers overseas.
For that is what the demonstrators in Washington forgot to mention in all their sloganeering and speechifying; the fact that the insurgents and terrorists in Iraq have only one chance to achieve their goal of overthrowing the Iraqi government and gaining power. And that is only if America walks away before the job is done.
They are hoping that history repeats itself and America abandons an ally to its fate as a result of both timid policy makers and domestic opposition to the war. And since this hope is all that the insurgents have to go on (for they can never defeat the US military on the field of battle), leftist opposition to the war can only be judged as disloyalty. They can call themselves patriots if they want. There is no way we can look into their souls and judge their love or hate for the United States. But we can certainly judge their loyalty based on their actions - actions that have the practical affect of encouraging the insurgents in Iraq to up the body count of Americans to test the mettle of our citizenry to stay the course until the job is well and truly done.
As the democratic process in Iraq moves forward in fits and starts and the Iraqi people slowly and cautiously march toward an uncertain future that may yet include sectarian violence and other setbacks in achieving national unity, the need for our troops to stay and assist them in this historic task will remain great. And to sustain our elected leaders in this hard, slogging task with our loyalty will become more and more critical as time goes by. It no doubt is the greatest test of our fealty to the United States government that many of us will ever have. But it will be absolutely necessary for us to win through to total victory and bring our sons and daughters home in triumph.
Said Rick Moran @ 6:49 pm Comments (0) | Permalink
Earlier on this site, (Sunday last actually) I posted what has amounted to a prologue to today’s post. If you want to read it click here, in fact, if you haven’t read it you should read it first, otherwise you may get lost, as this amounts to Part Two.
Said Kender @ 6:09 pm Comments (0) | Permalink
Go here to read the funniest thing I have heard in ages.
To sum up, Cindy Sheehan Got Arrested!!!!
BwahahahahahahahaHA!!!
Said Kender @ 12:28 pm Comments (10) | Permalink
I met up with my Wide Awakes colleague TJ (of NIF fame) today in Washington, D.C., to join in this rally in support of our nation’s brave military and their mission to win the Global War on Terror and keep America free.
Here are a few of the images we were privileged to see. The rally was as inspiring as it was moving. Visit Cao’s Blog this coming week, as she hopes to post audio clips and other excerpts.
26 SEPT UPDATE: Kit over at Euphoric Reality and Cao of Cao’s Blog have additional posts up today on the event.
26 SEPT UPDATE II: The long-awaited additional set of pictures is up at TMH’s Bacon Bits, with some commentary.
Said The MaryHunter @ 8:25 pm Comments (8) | Permalink
Of course we all know that the majority of the MSM are horribly biased, even dishonestly biased. If scientists were as corrupt as the MSM is in their wish to spin research findings a particular way, those scientists would be out of a job real quick. However, it seems that only the most extreme instances of jounalistic bias, such as outright falsification, are prosecuted — if any are at all.
This contrast bothers me tremendously. Both journalists and scientists are professionals in whom we as a society should be able to trust implicitly, since most of us have neither the resources nor the knowledge to either collect news in the one case, or understand and conduct science in the other.
I’ve written about this at TMH’s Bacon Bits. In “Bad Science, Worse Journalism” I compare media bias and scientific misconduct. The two look awfully the same to me.
Said The MaryHunter @ 6:33 pm Comments (6) | Permalink
Via, World Net Daily
A coalition of homosexual activists and atheists plan to march on a Boy Scout camp in San Diego next month demanding the organization open its membership and leadership to them.
The group Scouting For All plans to march and rally at a Boy Scout camp Oct. 9.
If that isn’t enough, check out the next bit of lunacy!
Beside demanding the Boy Scouts open their ranks to practicing homosexuals and atheists, the group also apparently seeks the admission of girls to the organization.
In the past, this loony group has compared the Boy Scouts to the KKK. Support for the group is coming from the usual suspects, Hollywood, and none other than the infamous ACLU.
Institutionalized homophobia in the Scouts or in church or school is the cruelest of all,” said Ian McKellan, the actor who played Gandolf in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, in an appearance for the group. “It makes life miserable for young gay people and it misleads their peers with regard to the ‘truth’ about gay people – that they are remarkably similar to the rest.”
We all know about the ACLU’s war against the Boyscouts because they stand their ground for God and Country. They’ve successfully barred military bases, and schools from sponsoring the BSA because they have the word God in thier pledge. Bluntly, its transparent to me that it is a grudge because the Boyscouts don’t want gay scout masters camping out with young boys in the woods. And now, they are backing protesters who also want girls in the Boyscouts. Take notice, the name of the organization is “Boy”scouts. The girls have their own version called, “Girl” Scouts, and they make really great cookies. Let me see a raise of hands out there, how many parents want to send their boys camping out with girls and gay Scout masters? Oh, it doesn’t really matter what the majority thinks, what the minority wants trumps the deck! And so, the war against the BSA continues.
I’m not sure what these protesters hope to accomplish. Girls in the Boyscouts is pretty silly. Can you imagine the gay scout masters passing out rainbow badges for tolerance? The BSA has stuck to its principles so far, and haven’t given in an inch. I expect no less this time around either.
Crossposted at Stop The ACLU
Said Jay777 @ 5:39 pm Comments (3) | Permalink
I have always admired Chris Muir, from his first cartoon to the most recent days of Day By Day (the Saturday September 24th Edition). Chris is able to state clearly what most of America really thinks in regards to all the liberal shibboleths as reported in the so called Main Stream Media (MSM). There is a major difference between reporting the war from what really is going on, and reporting the war with a hidden political agenda as the cartoon above accurately points out. There is a major difference between what is going on in Iraq and what the MSM is telling you is going on in Iraq. The MSM won’t tell you that, I just did! (Uh, Mr. Mondale, that is how you are supposed to say it…)
And significant differences there are! Not just in the quality of the reporting, but in the focus. One tries to portray a quagmire, the other a quality of life missing in Iraq for decades, if not tens of decades and the difference is telling. From the MSM:
BAGHDAD — Heavy fighting surged Friday in the Euphrates River city of Ramadi, police and hospital officials said, and the U.S. military reported the deaths of two more soldiers around the militant stronghold west of Baghdad.In the Iraqi capital, a suicide bomber on a public minibus set off an explosives belt as the vehicle approached a busy terminal, killing at least five people and wounding eight, police said.
Also in Baghdad, gunmen killed a member of the commission that keeps former officials in Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime out of the Iraqi government, police said. Thirteen members of the commission have been killed since it was created two years ago.
Seven of the 29 U.S. troops killed this month have died in or near Ramadi. The latest deaths occurred Thursday, one in a roadside bombing between Ramadi and nearby Fallouja, the other in a gun battle in Ramadi. Those slayings raised to at least 1,912 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003.
So, in the first four paragraphs (from what I’ve been told, that is where most readers stop unless it is really gripping) what have we learned from this tidbit of reportage? We learned that 1) heavy fighting and two more deaths; 2) a suicide bomber killed five; 3) gunmen killed a commission member, one of 13 killed in the last two years; 4) Seven of the nine US servicemen killed this month have died in or near Ramadi and that 1912 service members have been killed since 2003 Killed, killed, killed, killed. What, no mention of Quagmire? No comparison to Vietnam? Methinks the LATimes is falling down on their job, the MSM may revoke their liberal status.
Said GM @ 7:50 am Comments (1) | Permalink
