Texas Conservative

Time Saving Tip for the Times ...

2004-11-18T13:07:00.000-06:00

Jon Henke presents a time saving tip for the New York Times ...

Publish the editorials on the corrections page !

"Unarmed Insurgent ?" ...

2004-11-18T08:49:00.000-06:00

Thomas Sowell takes on the media idiots ...

During the recent election campaign, it has been a liberal mantra that they "support the troops" while opposing the war in Iraq. Just what does supporting the troops mean -- other than just a throwaway line to escape the political consequences of a long history of being anti-military?

It certainly does not mean making the slightest effort to understand the pressures and dangers of combat, so as to avoid the obscenity of sitting in peace and comfort while second-guessing at leisure some life-and-death decisions that had to be made in a split second by men 10,000 miles away.

The latest example is the now widely-publicized incident in which an American Marine in Iraq shot and killed a wounded terrorist in Fallujah. Chris Matthews on Hardball spoke of "what may be the illegal killing of a wounded, unarmed insurgent" -- the politically correct media term for a terrorist -- and asked: "Is there ever a justification for shooting an unarmed enemy?"

The unreality of this question is breath-taking, both logically and historically. How do you know that someone is unarmed, when finding out can cost you your life? A hand grenade is easily concealed and can kill you just as dead as if you were shot by a machine gun or hit by a nuclear missile.

....Why any such terrorists should be captured alive in the first place is a real question. Maybe they have information that could be useful. But every terrorist our troops try to capture alive increases the risk of death for American combat troops.

Their information better be damned important for that.

It is more than enough to ask a man to put his life on the line for his country, without needlessly increasing those risks by trying to be nobler than thou or playing to the international gallery. The very fact that this Marine in Fallujah has been taken out of combat and is under investigation can only have an inhibiting effect on other troops.

The inhibitions under which American troops have already had to fight have needlessly jeopardized their safety while we tiptoe around the delicate sensibilities of the media, European critics and "the Arab street."

The Times of London refers to a Marine "killing an unarmed man in cold blood." If that was his purpose he could have opened fire when he entered the room, instead of waiting until he saw an Iraqi terrorist faking being dead -- for what purpose the Marine had no way of knowing.

It seems astonishing that the media highbrows seem to place more value on the life of a terrorist, bent on killing as many "infidels" as possible, over that of an American soldier.

Read the whole thing.

Watch Your Six ... Film at Eleven

2004-11-17T21:40:00.000-06:00

Watch as the mainstream media circus begins over the shooting of a terrorist in Fallujah by a US marine.

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Post Election Blogging Burnout ...

2004-11-16T22:38:00.000-06:00

Well it's been two weeks to the day since the election, and I have almost recovered from my post election blogging burnout.

Sorry for the dearth of posts ... I just could not find anything I wanted to say for a while.

In the meantime, my wife and I took a relaxing trip to the west coast to visit relatives, and to attend my neice's two year birthday party.

The weather was very agreeable for Santa Cruz this time of year, and the trip was refreshing.

For your viewing pleasure, I present ... sea otters just off of the beach at Capitola !

Expect light blogging for a while, as I get my wind back, and as always, thanks for stopping by !

Awaiting the Decision on Pins and Needles ...

2004-11-02T08:45:00.000-06:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

The Decision ...

2004-11-01T01:02:00.000-06:00

Choose wisely America ...

(Image courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

50 Reasons ...

2004-10-31T09:30:00.000-06:00

Over at the American Digest, a Democrat voting Republican for the first time posts a photo-essay listing 50 reason to vote for Bush.

Go check out this very moving piece ...

Caught in the Act ...

2004-10-28T20:57:00.000-05:00

I received by e-mail a photo of the elusive "undecided" voter.

This voter was actually photographed in the act of voting !

The "Paper of Record" ...

2004-10-28T08:24:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Neal Boortz)

Kerry, Not Bush, Would Reinstate the Draft ...

2004-10-28T07:59:00.000-05:00

A reader of No Left Turns writes that Kerry would be much more likely to need to reinstate the draft than would Bush ...

Hasn’t anyone considered that Kerry would need a draft a lot more than Bush? Bush is very popular among current military personnel (he stands to get 75% to 80% of the military vote), and the various branches are currently meeting recruitment goals. In contrast, Kerry is reviled by about 95% of those who served directly with him because he pissed all over them with false accusations of atrocities merely to promote his own political ambitions. Who the hell would volunteer to serve under such a commander in chief?
In fact, this is very much in line with what I learned today from talking with a student who has friends in the armed forces. It is no secret that the men and women of the military find Kerry despicable, and apparently there are many who say that if he is elected they will not reenlist. Assuming he would be unable to make up for these losses with French and German soldiers, it is at least as reasonable to suppose that Kerry would reinstate the draft as it is to suggest that the president might.

Curious Specimen ...

2004-10-28T07:48:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Still Undecided ...

2004-10-28T07:34:00.000-05:00

Victor Davis Hanson reminds us of the historical perspective on the current electoral race ...

Had Lincoln lost the 1864 vote, a victorious General McClellan would have settled for an American continent divided, with slavery intact. Without Woodrow Wilson's reelection in 1916 — opposed by the isolationists — Western Europe would have lost millions only to be trampled by Prussian militarism. Franklin Roosevelt's interventionism saved liberal democracy. And without the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan and his unpopular agenda for remaking the military, the Soviet Union might still be subsidizing global murder.

This election marks a similar crossroads in our history. We are presented with two radically different candidates with profound disagreements about how to conduct a historic worldwide war. We should remember that all our victorious past presidents were, at the moments of their crises, deeply unpopular precisely because they chose the difficult, long-term sacrifice for victory over the expedient and convenient pleas for accommodation (if not outright capitulation). We are faced with just such an option today: a choice between a president whose call for patience and sacrifice promises victory, and a pessimist stirring the people with the assurances that we should not have fought, and now cannot win, the present war in Iraq.

(Emphasis added)

Are you still undecided ... ??

(Hat Tip to Bunker Mulligan)

Dear "Uncle John" ...

2004-10-25T19:39:00.000-05:00

Jay Tea, over at the Wizbang blog, posts a letter to his old family friend, "Uncle John" ...

John Kerry is actually an old family friend of mine. In fact, growing up, I knew him as my beloved "Uncle John."

I have a scrapbook I keep of my Uncle John. It has many treasured memories.

One of the oldest items I have is a Christmas card from Uncle John. It's from 1969, when I was barely two years old. I even saved the envelope it came in - I was fascinated by the Cambodian stamp and postmark on it, even at that age.

A few pages later in the book is a postcard from the early 70's. It features the Eiffel Tower on it, and it is signed by "Cmdr. John F. Kerry USNR)." He also sent me the autographs of several North Vietnamese officials Uncle John was good enough to collect for me.

Don't drink any fluids while you read the whole thing!

Woman of the People ?

2004-10-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

Ally Eskin, over at Who Moved My Truth, takes Teresa Heinz-Kerry to task over her latest moronic comments ...

Last time I checked, women can say anything they damn well please in the United States of America. I know that isn't the case everywhere in the world, but here in our country, you can say what you want and be heard. Just look at the internet and blogosphere, public TV, radio talk shows, etc.

Go read the whole thing!

The Face of the "New" Democrat Party ...

2004-10-25T18:36:00.000-05:00

On a recent edition of Scarborough Country, John O'Neill of the Swift Boat Vets and POWs faced off against partisan Democrat hack Lawrence O'Donnell.

The result was a screamfest, with O'Donnell repeatedly screaming out that O'Neill was a "liar", at the top of his lungs.

The full transcript is here if you can stand it.

This is the "new" face of the Democrat party ... if you can't refute the facts, just scream as loud as you can ...

Michelle Malkin comments ...

It doesn't do justice at all to the screamfest that took place, but you'll get the idea if you imagine O'Donnell chopping at the air with a rhetorical hatchet a la Jack Nicholson in The Shining ...

Bob Hayes: Why I am Pro-Life ...

2004-10-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

Bob Hayes, over at the Let's Try Freedom blog, posts a touching photo-essay, "Why I am Pro-Life".

Nothing more needs to be said, except ... go check it out.

Florida in the Bag for Bush ?

2004-10-25T15:08:00.000-05:00

Jay Cost, over at The Horserace Blog, has performed another outstanding analysis, and is predicting a Bush win in Florida.

If you are a political junkie, and are not reading Jay's daily analyses, then you are definitely not as "informed" as you should be !

UPDATE: The Gallup poll released tonight has Bush up with a big lead over Kerry in Florida, 51-43.

Ten Reasons ...

2004-10-25T14:06:00.001-05:00

... that Jim Treacher is not voting for Bush.

(Hat Tip to Vodkapundit)

Storytelling ...

2004-10-25T13:49:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Kerry Lied About Meeting With UN Security Council ...

2004-10-24T22:21:00.000-05:00

Turns out that Kerry lied about meeting with the UN Security Council before the 2002 congressional vote to authorize the use of force.

In an article posted in tomorrow's Washington Times, Joel Mobray's investigation exposes the lies ...

U.N. ambassadors from several nations are disputing assertions by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry that he met for hours with all members of the U.N. Security Council just a week before voting in October 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq.

An investigation by The Washington Times reveals that while the candidate did talk for an unspecified period to at least a few members of the panel, no such meeting, as described by Mr. Kerry on a number of occasions over the past year, ever occurred.

At the second presidential debate earlier this month, Mr. Kerry said he was more attuned to international concerns on Iraq than President Bush, citing his meeting with the entire Security Council.

"This president hasn't listened. I went to meet with the members of the Security Council in the week before we voted. I went to New York. I talked to all of them, to find out how serious they were about really holding Saddam Hussein accountable," Mr. Kerry said of the Iraqi dictator.

Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in December 2003, Mr. Kerry explained that he understood the "real readiness" of the United Nations to "take this seriously" because he met "with the entire Security Council, and we spent a couple of hours talking about what they saw as the path to a united front in order to be able to deal with Saddam Hussein."

But of the five ambassadors on the Security Council in 2002 who were reached directly for comment, four said they had never met Mr. Kerry. The four also said that no one who worked for their countries' U.N. missions had met with Mr. Kerry either.

Remember that Kerry told America that his mother reminded him on her deathbed, "Integrity, integrity, integrity", when he informed her of his decision to run for president ?

This shouldn't surprise anyone but, evidently he wasn't listening, and certainly shows no evidence of exhibiting any integrity ...

Go read the whole thing !

What I am ...

2004-10-24T20:19:00.000-05:00

George Essef, Sr. spent over $100,000 of his own money to take out an ad in the Washington Post ...

You’re a Republican???

In today’s America, ask a growing number of high school and college students; their teachers and professors; the self-anointed media elite and/or hard working men and women of all ethnicities, the question, “What is a Republican?”, and you’ll be told “… a rich, greedy, egotistical individual, motivated only by money and the desire to accumulate more and more of it, at the expense of the environment … the working poor ….and all whom they exploit…”

I am a Republican … I am none of those things… and I don’t know any Republicans who are.

[...]

WHAT I AM … is a man who feels the need to spend, $104, 655.60,(tax paid) of his own money, to purchase this advertisement, in order to set the story straight. Some may say this money would have been better spent feeding the world’s poor. At the risk of sounding self-serving, as an American and as a Republican, for the last six decades of my life, I have done exactly that… and more. Following the examples of my parents and grand parents, I have used my earnings to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, provide housing for the elderly and medical care for the sick….. and continue to do so… and I’m not alone in that work.

WHAT I AM … is someone who is paying for this announcement, at my sole expense, in hopes of opening the eyes of those led blindly by ill-informed elements of our great nation, who, through either ignorance, or malicious intent, repeatedly attack and belittle those of us who belong to a political party that holds true to the belief, “… the rights of the governed, exceed the power of the government”. For those interested, I am speaking only as a tax-paying individual who is in no way associated with The Republican National Committee, nor with any of its directors, or delegates.

Go read the whole thing !

(Hat Tip to Polipundit)

Liberal Political Discourse ...

2004-10-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

As if you didn't already know, many (not all) liberals contribute nothing to the political discourse except hate.

A returned Iraqi war veteran, running for political office, was spit on by a liberal activist during a public debate.

Evidently this liberal grad student hasn't learned much in school ...

(Hat Tip to Smash)

Kerry Foreign Policy ...

2004-10-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

From Charles Krauthammer ...

The centerpiece of John Kerry's foreign policy is to rebuild our alliances so the world will come to our aid, especially in Iraq. He repeats this endlessly because it is the only foreign policy idea he has to offer. The problem for Kerry is that he cannot explain just how he proposes to do this. . . .

He really does want to end America's isolation. And he has an idea how to do it. For understandable reasons, however, he will not explain how on the eve of an election.

Think about it: What do the Europeans and the Arab states endlessly rail about in the Middle East? What (outside of Iraq) is the area of most friction with U.S. policy? What single issue most isolates America from the overwhelming majority of countries at the United Nations?

The answer is obvious: Israel.

In what currency, therefore, would we pay the rest of the world in exchange for their support in places such as Iraq? The answer is obvious: giving in to them on Israel.

No Democrat will say that openly. But anyone familiar with the code words of Middle East diplomacy can read between the lines.

Based on everything Kerry's said and done to date, I cannot help but agree.

On a Related Note ...

2004-10-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

This jaw-dropper from Citizen Smash ...

Senator John Forbes Kerry and President George Walker Bush are distant cousins !.

The Kerry Doctrine ...

2004-10-21T11:35:00.001-05:00

Would John Kerry really do all that is required to protect Americans ?

You be the judge ...

Kerry's belief in working with allies runs so deep that he has maintained that the loss of American life can be better justified if it occurs in the course of a mission with international support. In 1994, discussing the possibility of U.S. troops being killed in Bosnia, he said, "If you mean dying in the course of the United Nations effort, yes, it is worth that. If you mean dying American troops unilaterally going in with some false presumption that we can affect the outcome, the answer is unequivocally no."

(Emphasis added)

Kerry's position has consistently been on the wrong side of every conflict that America has been involved in since Vietnam.

Do you really think he would make the necessary choices to project American power when needed ?

Kerry too Weird ?? ...

2004-10-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Direct from the Polipundit site ...

Is John Kerry just too weird to be president?
John Kerry is the ’60s peace activist who brags about his combat experience in Vietnam.

John Kerry is the anti-war candidate who voted to go to war in Iraq. He’s the “internationalist” who believes we should only use force after passing a global test, but who voted against the first Gulf War and its international coalition.

John Kerry is the Catholic who believes life begins at conception, but who supports partial birth abortion. He’s the ACLU liberal who fears the influence of the Christian Right, but spends his Sundays campaigning from the pulpits of black churches.

John Kerry is the life-long advocate of gun control who never misses a chance to wave a shotgun over his head, even when it’s a style of shotgun he’s voted to ban.

John Kerry is the guy who says the wealthy don’t pay enough in taxes, but who paid just 12.5 percent in federal income taxes last year. The average working American family paid around 20 percent.

And that’s just the political John Kerry — the John Kerry who speaks French while campaigning in Florida. The personal John Kerry is even more bizarre.

Horserace ...

2004-10-20T21:30:00.000-05:00

Jay Cost, over at The Horserace Blog, has one of the best sites around to explain the "nuances" of polling.

Go check him out !

Election Prediction ...

2004-10-18T18:30:00.000-05:00

Here's my prediction of the final electoral vote tally ...

•Bush/Cheney — 296

•Kerry/Edwards — 242

Note that I am NOT predicting when the tally will be completed !

If you are interested, you can play around with different scenarios here and generate your own predictions!

In Hot Water ? ...

2004-10-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Contrast Kerry's 9-10 with Bush's 9-12 Policies ...

2004-10-18T17:56:00.000-05:00
From the latest Kerry ad ...
AD SCRIPT

Narrator: “In Iraq, American troops are attacked 87 times a day. At home, the Bush administration has acquired just 530 doses of licensed anthrax vaccine for America’s civilian population. In Afghanistan, the Bush Administration relied on Afghan warlords to go after Osama bin Laden. He got away. Bush said.... ‘I don’t spend that much time on him...I truly am not that concerned about him.’ It’s time for a new direction.”

John Kerry: I’m John Kerry and I approve this message.
Then hear what President Bush had to say today in New Jersey ...
My opponent has a fundamental misunderstanding on the war on terror. A reporter recently asked Senator Kerry how September the 11th changed him. He replied, "It didn't change me much at all."

[...]

His unchanged world view is obvious from the policies he still advocates. He has said this war is "primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation." He has declared, we should not respond to threats until they are — quote — "imminent." He has complained that my administration — quote — "relies unwisely on the threat of military preemption against terrorist organizations." Let me repeat that. He says that preemptive action is "unwise," not only against regimes, but even against terrorist organizations.

[...]

This kind of September the 10th attitude is no way to protect our country. (Applause.) The war on terror is a real war, with deadly enemies, not simply a police operation. In an era of weapons of mass destruction, waiting for threats to arrive at our doorsteps is to invite disaster. Tyrants and terrorists will not give us polite notice before they attack our country. As long as I'm the Commander-in-Chief, I will confront dangers abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause)

[...]

The dream of freedom is moving forward in Iraq. The terrorists know it, and they hate it, and they fight it. And we can expect more violence as Iraq moves toward free elections. Yet, every day in Iraq, our coalition is defeating the enemy's strategic objectives. The enemy seeks to disrupt the march toward democracy. But an Iraqi independent electoral commission is up and running, political parties are planning campaigns, voter registration will begin next month — and free and fair Iraqi elections will be held on schedule this coming January. (Applause.)

The enemy seeks to establish sanctuaries in Iraq from which to commit acts of terror. But Iraqi and coalition forces are on the offensive in Fallujah and North Babil, and have restored government control in Samarra, Tall Afar, and Najaf. The enemy wants to make Iraqis afraid to join security forces. But every week, more and more Iraqis answer the call to arms. More than 100,000 soldiers, police and border guards are already trained, equipped and bravely serving their country. And well over 200,000 will be in place by the end of 2005. (Applause.) The enemy seeks to break the will of the Iraqi people. But as Prime Minister Allawi told the Congress, Iraqis are hopeful, optimistic and determined to prevail in their struggle for liberty. (Applause.)

After the enemy has failed in so many goals, what can these killers do now? They can fill up our TV screens with horrible images of suicide bombings and beheadings. These scenes are chaotic and horrific, but they're not a complete picture of what's happening in Iraq. A recent poll found that more than 75 percent of Iraqis want to vote, and they have confidence in the electoral progress. And more than 75 percent are hopeful about the future of their country. The violent acts of a few will not divert Iraqis and our coalition from the mission we have accepted. Iraq will be free, Iraqis will be secure and the terrorists will fail.
(Applause.)

My opponent has a different outlook. While America does the hard work of fighting terror and spreading freedom, he has chosen the easy path of protest and defeatism. He refuses to acknowledge progress, or praise the growing democratic spirit in Iraq. He has not made democracy a priority of his foreign policy. But what is his strategy, his vision, his answer? Is he content to watch and wait, as anger and resentment grow for more decades in the Middle East, feeding more terrorism until radicals without conscience gain the weapons to kill without limit? Giving up the fight might seem easier in the short run, but we learned on September the 11th that if violence and fanaticism are not opposed at their source, they will find us where we live. America is safer today because Afghanistan and Iraq are fighting terrorists instead of harboring them. (Applause.) And I believe future generations of Americans will be spared violence and fear as democracy and hope and governments that oppose terror multiply across the Middle East. (Applause.)
(Emphasis added)

This is the vision that will keep generations of Americans safer from terrorist threats, not the vision that recommends hiding behind the UN's figurative skirts, and hoping that the terrorists will pass you by.

(Hat tip to The Kerry Spot on NRO)

Early Voting ...

2004-10-18T17:16:00.000-05:00
I went to exercise my right to help re-elect President Bush today.

Keep in mind that I live in Texas, a very strong Bush state ...

I arrived at the polling place and the wait to cast an early vote was over 45 minutes !

The turnout on this, the first day of early voting, was simply astounding, as related by the poll workers.

Remember, this is likely the most important election of our lifetime!

The choice will be made between September 10th and September 12th policies.

VOTE !

Utter Disgust ...

2004-10-17T19:44:00.000-05:00
As you have probably discovered, blogging was non-existent last week. As usual, I was on the road once again.

But now I'm back ! Thanks for continuing to visit !

As I opened the Sunday Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning, and began to scan, my mood became more and more angry. It seemed like every headline was so full of bias that it appeared the main stream media had dropped all pretense of objectivity.

On the front page ...

Knight Ridder- "Why Iraq went awry after the fall of Saddam"

Page 10A ...

New York Times- "Troops, familes see problems in plans"

Page 21A ...

Associated Press- "Scowcroft decries Iraq policy"

From the "Second Front" section, front page ...

Knight Ridder- "Some were surprised by absence of planning"

Knight Ridder- "Blunders compounded U.S. problems in Iraq"

And the "kicker", from the Opinion section ...

The Bride of Michael Moore, Molly Ivins- "Fascism any day now?"

I was so full of disgust that I literally could not finish reading the paper ... I had to put the paper aside and go mow the lawn !

Global Test ...

2004-10-08T08:11:00.001-05:00

(Courtesy of www.strangepolitics.com via Neal Boortz)

Saddams's Pride ...

2004-10-07T21:33:00.000-05:00
Here's a photo that you will never see printed in a main stream paper, and likely won't ever see on TV.

Saddam may not have had any direct connection to 9/11, but no one can say he wasn't extremely happy to see our horror and misery ...

(Photo courtesy of 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America via Steve Rugg over at JusTalkin)

VP Debate Results ...

2004-10-06T19:56:00.000-05:00

Hulk SMASH metrosexual trial lawyer !!!

(Courtesy of Junkyard Blog)

Armed Iranians Arrested in Samarra ...

2004-10-05T14:25:00.000-05:00
Iran Focus News reports that Iran continues to funnel fighters and support to the insurgency ...
Baghdad, Oct. 4 - The Interim Iraqi Interior Minister stated that armed Iranian agents have been arrested among rebels fighting in the city of Samarra. The Al-Hurriya TV aired footage of Falah Naqib who accused Iran of backing insurgents in this presently volatile region of Iraq.

Fighting in Samarra has left over 150 rebels and one U.S. soldier dead. On Sunday, residents said they heard random explosions as U.S. and Iraqi forces hunted for insurgent holdouts.

Iraqi police have been patrolling the city, while U.S. troops and Iraqi Forces search houses for rebels and weapons caches. Military sources also confirmed that following extensive clashes between U.S. troops and the rebel militia, a large number of armed agents working for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) were arrested.

Naqib’s comments came after U.S. forces separately confirmed the arrests of 80 Iranian fighters who had posed as regular Iraqis.
This is outrageous !

The US needs to send a message to Iran to keep their "noses" out of Iraq's business!

Edited for Content ...

2004-10-05T08:28:00.000-05:00
Be sure to check out the new movie, FarenHYPE 9/11, that debunks Michael Moore-on's Farenheit 9/11 !

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Lowell Sun Endorses Bush ...

2004-10-04T09:59:00.000-05:00
Much ado was made by the main-stream media when the local paper in the Crawford Texas area, considered the President's "home town paper", endorsed Kerry for president.

Now in a spate of "turn-about", Kerry's home town paper, the Lowell Sun has endorsed President Bush for reelection ...
When it comes to the war on terror, President Bush means to keep our military strong and our country secure.

John Kerry, on the other hand, has all the attributes of the shape of water when it comes to telling us what he believes and what he'd do for America. Like incoming and outgoing tides, Kerry is content to go with the flow. In a dangerous world infested with sharks, Kerry would be chum at America's expense.

We in Massachusetts know John Kerry. He got his first taste of politics 32 years ago in the cities and towns of Greater Lowell.

In his 20 years in the U.S. Senate, Kerry, a Navy war hero, hasn't risen above the rank of seaman for his uninspiring legislative record. He's been inconsistent on major issues. First he's for the 1991 Persian Gulf War, then he opposes it. First he's for the war in Iraq, then he's against it. First he's for a strong U.S. defense, then he votes against military weapons programs. First he's for the U.S. Patriot Act, then he opposes it.

Kerry's solution to stop terrorism? He'd go to the U.N. and build a consensus. How naive. France's Jacques Chirac, Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and other Iraq oil-for-food scam artists don't want America to succeed. They want us brought down to their level. And more and more, Kerry sounds just like them. In a recent campaign speech, Kerry said America was in the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

No doubt John Kerry sincerely wants to serve his country, but we believe he's the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
(Hat Tip to The Corner on NRO)

Armed and Disingenuous ...

2004-10-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

"Summit" Meetings and Negotiation ...

2004-10-02T16:52:00.000-05:00
During Thursday's debate, Kerry said the following ...
If the president had shown the patience to go through another round of [United Nations] resolution [sic], to sit down with those leaders, say, "What do you need, what do you need now, how much more will it take to get you to join us?" we'd be in a stronger place today.

(emphasis added)
Bill Dyer is a lawyer, and a blogger. His blog, Beldar Blog is always a source of good information, and insightful posts.

With regard to Kerry's comments above, Bill states ...
Oh, how I love to hear those exact words coming from my adversary across the bargaining table!

When I hear "How much more will it take?" and "What do you need?" coming from the mouth of my opponent, I know the case will settle on terms favorable to my client. My opponent might as well have placed a large, blinking neon sign behind him that reads: "I'm afraid to go to trial, and I'll do whatever it takes to avoid that risk." He's just handed me his client's purse, invited me and my client to take what we want from it, and return it to him containing however little my client and I see fit.

Once my adversary has said those words — once he's revealed that he dares not fight, that he will, ultimately, compromise no matter how high the price — then they can't be unsaid. No amount of previous or subsequent bluster will persuade me that my opponent and/or his client have the heart and the guts to risk seeing the case through to a verdict.

It matters little whether the person across the table is an implacable adversary (as, say, the North Koreans or the Iranians) or a sometimes-ally who nonetheless has potentially adverse interests and in any event will follow what it perceives to be its own self-interest (say, the French). The answer to the question "How much more will it take?" is always — "Everything you've got to give, and more. And more."

Kerry's Debate Skills ...

2004-10-01T19:57:00.000-05:00
We've all heard so much about Kerry's debate skills in the ramp-up to last night's debate.

And he very definitely demonstrated those skills in the debate.

Therefore, this convincing performance allows us to bestow upon him the title of ....

Wait for it .... wait ....

The Master-debater !

Missing Debate Topic ....

2004-10-01T16:41:00.000-05:00
Michelle Malkin brings up an issue that was, curiously, missing from last night's debate ...
One last thought: Is it just me or is it amazing that we had a historic 90-minute presidential debate on foreign policy and national security in wartime without a single specific question about border control and the nexis between illegal immigration and homeland defense?!
This is one issue that I think Bush has the wrong ideas to remedy ... giving illegal aliens a "hall pass" for entry to the US.

More on the Debate ...

2004-10-01T08:24:00.000-05:00
In my opinion, I agree with many pundits that have considered Kerry the winner on "style", and Bush the winner on "substance".

I don't believe that the results of this debate will radically change the dynamics of the race, and Kerry did slip up and let his true character show through a couple of times.

Kerry's position regarding Iran is ludicrous ... Give the Mullahs nuclear fuel, then expect them to keep promises not to build nukes?

Who's he kidding ....

Kerry's position(s) regarding North Korea represent an interesting dichotomy.

"Multilateral" is good in Iraq, but bad for North Korea ?

In any case, I don't believe that this debate will sway many undecided voters one way or another, and it looks like the Gallup post-debate poll supports this conclusion.

Regarding the First Debate ...

2004-10-01T08:06:00.000-05:00
Kerry let his true colors show through, as best depicted below ...

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Iranians: Moore is a "Blowhard" ...

2004-09-29T11:11:00.000-05:00
The Mullahs in Iran recently allowed screenings of Michael Moore-on's Farenheit 9-11 crockumentary, in the hopes of fanning the anti-Bush flames.

Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi, writing for Frontpage Magazine reports that the results were less than expected ...
I have also been asked to express the judgment of a number of Iranians who saw the film in Iran. They sent e-mails, faxes and even phoned me to ask me to report their reviews.

First, other than David Lynch’s film, ‘The Straight Story’, Iranians have not really been exposed to any western films in their cinemas. The Mullahs’ film board forbids the display of women’s uncovered hair and all the other “corruption” Western filmmakers spread. For Iranians, therefore, viewing Michael Moore’s film was a tremendously novel experience.

After 25 years of living in a virtual concentration camp, Iranians have become exceedingly socio-politically savvy. Moore’s anti-American propaganda did not attract anywhere near as many viewers as the Mullahs had hoped for. Tehran’s despots had hoped the film would challenge the Iranian people’s favourable notion of President Bush and promote John Kerry.

But Iranians are too smart.

A group of 12 university students, for example, composed of both men and women who had seen the film, collectively wrote me and signed an e-mail which said: “Wow, this guy complains that Bush lied once. What would this windbag do if he lived here where our president lies to us once an hour?”

Another comment was: “This guy gets to publicly accuse Bush of lying and becomes famous and adored worldwide. We, here, complain about some decrepit and inconsequential government lackey and we not only go to prison but some of us get death sentences. He ought to thank his lucky stars he lives in a country where he’s allowed and even encouraged to be this obnoxious…”

Someone else quipped: “If he thinks that the U.S. is so bad, he’s welcome to trade places with us…since he’s so forgiving of brutal Middle Eastern dictators!”

Another young man said: “They are showing this film to erase from our minds the idea of America being the great liberator; maybe Americans themselves don’t appreciate what they have but we sure do!”
Go read the whole thing !

Kerry the Terror-Warrior ...

2004-09-29T09:35:00.000-05:00
Kerry gave a speech at Temple University, trying in this speech to once again "reposition" himself on the Iraq issue.

The Kerry Spot at NRO thoroughly deconstructs the speech here.

Definitely a must read

Scare Tactics ...

2004-09-29T08:13:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Some Successes in Iraq ...

2004-09-28T20:28:00.000-05:00
Here's some news that you won't see on the networks ...
FALLUJAH, Iraq - At approximately 8 a.m., Iraqi National Guard soldiers and U.S. Marines thwarted two separate suicide-car bomber attacks on a joint forward operating base near Karmah.

The first vehicle was a black BMW that exploded while driving through
the barrier system outside the base. It was followed seconds later by a
blue Kia pick-up truck, which also detonated in the barrier system
outside compound.

The close partnership and swift actions of Iraqi Security Forces and
Marines guarding the compound are credited with identifying and
preventing the attackers from entering the base. There were no serious
Multi-National Forces-Iraq injuries.

Terrorists and insurgents are unsuccessfully attempting to interrupt the
progress of a free Iraq. Multi-National Force-Iraq is committed to
assisting the Iraqi Interim Government in organizing, training and
equipping Iraqi Security Forces to provide security for the people of
Iraq.
And the capture of a significant anti-coalition terrorist ...
TIKRIT, Iraq -- Task Force Danger Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment detained the suspected leader of an anti-Iraqi forces insurgent cell during a raid in Kirkuk on Sept. 27 at about 3 p.m.
The Soldiers detained Husayn Salman Muhammad Al-Jabburi, suspected of leading a Kirkuk-Hawaijah based cell aligning itself with Ansar Al Sunna.

Ansar Al Sunna is a faction of Ansar Al Islam and reportedly has close ties with the Al-Zarqawi network. The Soldiers transported Al-Jabburi to a Multi-National Forces detention facility for questioning. No injuries were reported in the incident.
You see Dan, if you report real news, you wouldn't have to make it up !!

(Hat Tip to the Junkyard Blog)

The Ultimate John Kerry Campaign Ad ...

2004-09-28T01:00:00.000-05:00
Be warned ...

Do not be eating or drinking anything when you listen to this (spit-takes are messy !) ...

The Ultimate John Kerry Campaign Ad

(Hat Tip to Polipundit)

The Choice ...

2004-09-27T23:55:00.000-05:00
Ann Althouse (who voted for Edwards in the primaries) explains how Kerry "lost her".

Proof of the VWRC !!!!

2004-09-27T23:49:00.000-05:00
It exists !! The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ! ... Hard evidence that the evil Karl Rove is coordinating the conspiracy !

More here !

And here !

Kerry Diplomacy ...

2004-09-27T23:42:00.000-05:00
A picture is worth a thousand words ...

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

A Music Video Worth Watching ...

2004-09-27T23:38:00.000-05:00
This music video is one of the most remarkable, and certainly one of the most
watchable I've ever seen.

Makes you wonder about the hypocrisy of the celebri-liberals, huh ?

Kerry: Cut and Run ...

2004-09-23T07:48:00.001-05:00
From the Captain's Quarters blog, Captain Ed received an e-mail forwarded by the father of an Army Captain currently serving in Iraq, who is working to train Iraqi security forces.

Think that Kerry's latest position on Iraq does anything to lessen the threat of terrorism ?

Think again ...

Straight from the frontlines ...
I also wonder if Senator Kerry realizes that he is partially responsible for the recent upswing in violence. This, by the way, is not speculation... this is straight from one of my interpreter's mouth.

When Senator Kerry said that, if elected, he would pull us out of here in four years, the insurgent leadership had a rousing round of celebratory automatic weapons fire. The insurgents can easily hang out another four years, taking 10 casualties here, 3 there and they know it. And they know that a massive upswing in violence with resulting casualties will make President Bush look really bad and increase the Senator's chances of election.

So, Senator Kerry, would you like to explain to me how your announcement was supposed to make my life better? He screwed us and I will never forget that. Should I ever get the chance to be in his presence, I will be more than happy to let him know that. I can think of about 22 guys who will never get the chance and I owe it to them.
Go read the whole thing.

The Dark Side ...

2004-09-23T07:41:00.000-05:00
Bunker Mulligan apologizes for almost succumbing to "The Dark Side" ...
I'm being overcome by the Dark Side. The last couple of days have been evil, and it is trying to envelop me. It goes beyond Dan Rather, but he is the catalyst.

We have many people in this country, folks like MoveOn.org, Michael Moore, and the DNC heirarchy, who celebrate in their hearts every death in Iraq. They bemoan the deaths of American soldiers with pity, and the deaths of Iraqis and others with false angst. Because these haters despise Dubya, any death is part of their tally toward his defeat, another stone on the scale. I resent that. Life is precious. Apologizers might say these folks really don't want people to die, and they are trying to prevent death. Bull. They weren't crying about all the deaths in Iraq prior to our invasion. They aren't crying about all the deaths in Sudan.

I've had to reassess my view of the Democratic Party and its supporters. Death and misery seem to be at their core. It is as if they feel they can succeed in gaining power only if people in the world are dying or near death. They claim to be passionate about helping folks, sharing their altruistic nature in campaigns. In reality, they do nothing to help once they have power. Charity begins at home, yet how many of them actually contribute anything more than words to helping others? Talk is cheap.

...
Go read the whole thing.

Kerry: Gave Aid and Comfort ...

2004-09-23T07:31:00.000-05:00
From today's FT. Worth Star-Telegram, Cal Thomas gives his take on Kerry's impact on two wars ...
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has achieved something that may be unique in the history of our country. He has managed to oppose two wars while they are being fought, undermine the objective of the nation and give aid and comfort to those who are killing American soldiers and kidnapping American civilians.

In a speech at New York University on Monday, Kerry questioned President Bush's judgment in ordering American troops to topple Saddam Hussein, saying the president had exchanged a brutal dictator for "chaos."

While acknowledging that "there has been some progress, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our soldiers and civilians in Iraq, [and] schools, shops and hospitals have been opened, [and] in parts of Iraq, normalcy actually prevails," Kerry claimed that "most Iraqis have lost faith in our ability to deliver meaningful improvements to their lives. So they're sitting on the fence … instead of siding with us against the insurgents."

Kerry is an expert at fence-sitting, having sat on one most of his life. He has taken both sides in the war and tried even in this speech to distinguish between granting Bush authority to wage war and reserving his right to micromanage the war that the president wages if it doesn't immediately produce victory.
Go read the whole thing.

Kerry on Letterman ...

2004-09-20T23:30:00.000-05:00
Kerry's a guest on the Dave Letterman show tonight, and according to The Kerry Spot he's bombing ...
Oh, God, he’s bombing. Letterman asks him a direct question — “If you were elected in 2000, and you had the same intelligence information Bush had, would we be in Iraq right now?” Kerry is incapable of giving a yes or no answer. Turns to his “Bush rushed" stuff. Talks about how it isn't a true multilateral coalition. Now he's into a how he wants to double the number of special forces. "I want to do better intelligence."

I'm going to have to get the full transcript. This is a stunningly bad performance. Senator, you go on Letterman, you just give Dave a straight answer and he'll love you. Leave the usual political caveats and spin at home.
Kerry appears to have shown again that not only can't he give a straight answer, he just cannot "connect" with the "unwashed masses".

...Do you really think that this waffler has the judgement to lead the country in times of crisis ???

Rewind ....

2004-09-18T14:58:00.000-05:00
On March 11^th of this year, in the heat of the Democratic primary season, Senator Kerry was caught in an "off the cuff" moment stating:
"... these guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group of people I've ever seen"
In breaking news today, an anonymous source reveals that the recorded comments were edited, and did not reflect the entirety of Kerry's comments.

This "unimpeachable source" reports that Kerry's actual comments were:
"We're gonna' (sic) win this thing!

I've got the absolute best campaign team there is, and between their efforts and the efforts of my friends over at CBS ...

Well, let me just tell you confidentially ... these guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group of people I've ever seen"
This report has been authenticated by the crack research team at CBS.

Note to readers: This post may be considered "Fake, but Accurate".

More: Fake but Accurate ...

2004-09-16T21:08:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Democrats: The Party of "Tolerance" ...

2004-09-16T19:52:00.000-05:00

From the Associated Press ...
Three-year-old Sophia Parlock cries while seated on the shoulders of her father, Phil Parlock, after having their Bush-Cheney sign torn up by Kerry-Edwards supporters on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004, at the Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W.Va. Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards made a brief stop at the airport as he concluded his two-day bus tour to locations in West Virginia and Ohio.
(AP Photo/Randy Snyder)
But Democrats are the party of "tolerance" !?!?

I know that not all Dem's are as thoughtless as this lowlife, but as a parent, the smug look on the idiot's face as he watches the little girl cry disgusts me. I'm sure that he feels "like a real man" now ...

"Accurate" Forgeries ...

2004-09-16T08:40:00.000-05:00
Yesterday, CBS restated their support for the obviously forged Killian memos, and then further stated ...
Statement by the President of CBS News, Andrew Heyward:

"We established to our satisfaction that the memos were accurate or we would not have put them on television. There was a great deal of coroborating [sic] evidence from people in a position to know. Having said that, given all the questions about them, we believe we should redouble our efforts to answer those questions, so that's what we are doing."
So we now have an "accurate" forgery ...

Shamelessly Xeroxed from Citizen Smash...
For illustration purposes, the following is an "accurate" representation of a $50 bill (at least the part presented):

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

If you harbor any confusion as to the distinction between the meaning of the words "accurate" and "authentic", try printing out the above image (complete of course) and using it to purchase something at your local store.

(Please don't do this -- counterfeiting is a federal crime. Fraud, too.)

One More 9-11 Tribute ...

2004-09-14T16:13:00.000-05:00
This was compiled in 2002, but is still as applicable this year as last, and will still be applicable on September 11^th for years to come (don't forget to turn up the sound!)...
NEVER FORGET ...

Up in Smoke ....

2004-09-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

New MS Office Software ...

2004-09-13T21:36:00.000-05:00
In a late addition to the MS Office Software Suite, Microsoft is adding the following new package ... (wait for it...)

MS Forger

Check out this new product here, and hold onto your sides ...

Submit !!!

2004-09-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Remembering 9-11 ...

2004-09-11T13:14:00.000-05:00
I was driving to work that morning, listening to talk radio and traffic reports. The announcer came on the air stating that an airplane had struck a World Trade Center tower.

My immediate reaction was, "This was a terrorist strike".

As the next days and weeks passed, and the turmoil of the aftermath unfolded, I fell into deep depression, alternating with intense anger.

Then President George W. Bush addressed a joint session of Congress on September 20, 2001. I listened to this man in awe. For a person ridiculed for his lack of speaking skills, he stunned me with his eloquence ...
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow Americans:

In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It has already been delivered by the American people.

We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground -- passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome his wife, Lisa Beamer, here tonight.

We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers -- in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own.

My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of our Union -- and it is strong.
President Bush then made a promise to the American people ... a promise that resonated strongly with me ...
Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger, and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done ...

... Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.
President Bush closed the address by stating ...
I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people.

The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.

Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice -- assured of the rightness of our cause, and confident of the victories to come. In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may He watch over the United States of America.
With these words, President Bush lifted me from my depression, and banked the fire of my anger.

I was able to continue, knowing that this man of true character would live up to his promises.

... And he has ...

Remember September 11, 2001 ... and remember that "freedom isn't free".

Steven Headley: September 11, 2004

MS Windows to the Rescue ...

2004-09-10T18:30:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Jay Reding via RatherBiased.com)

CBS Nightly News ....

2004-09-10T14:53:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of RatherBiased.com via the Betsy's Page blog)

Rather: "It's True ... I Swear It ! "

2004-09-10T13:37:00.000-05:00
As reported by the Powerline blog, Dan Rather has commented on CNN that he knows the Jerry Killian documents to be authentic, and knows that they are not forgeries. Therefore, he said, there will be no retraction, no correction, and -- apparently -- no investigation.

Powerline comments ...
This would appear to signal the end of Rather's career. If the documents are ultimately accepted as forgeries, which seems inevitable to us, he can't survive. My guess: Rather knows that he will be retiring soon in any event, so as his last public contribution, he is doing whatever he can to elect John Kerry.
I have to say, it couldn't happen to a ~~better~~ ~~nicer~~ more biased journalist.

Bernard Goldberg must be laughing his ass off ...

Meanwhile, The Prowler reports that the forged memos may have come from the Kerry campaign ...
More than six weeks ago, an opposition research staffer for the Democratic National Committee received documents purportedly written by President George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard squadron commander, the late Col. Jerry Killian.
The oppo researcher claimed the source was "a retired military officer." According to a DNC staffer, the documents were seen by both senior staff members at the DNC, as well as the Kerry campaign.

"More than a couple people heard about the papers," says the DNC staffer. "I've heard that they ended up with the Kerry campaign, for them to decide to how to proceed, and presumably they were handed over to 60 Minutes, which used them the other night. But I know this much. When there was discussion here, there were doubts raised about their authenticity."

The concerns arose from the sourcing. "It wasn't clear that our source for the documents would have had access to them. Our person couldn't confirm from what file, from what original source they came from."

A CBS producer, who initially tipped off The Prowler about the 60 Minutes story, says that despite seeking professional assurances that the documents were legitimate, there was uncertainty even among the group of producers and researchers working on the story.

"The problem was we had one set of documents from Bush's file that had Killian calling Bush 'an exceptionally fine young officer and pilot.' And someone who Killian said 'performed in an outstanding manner.' Then you have these new documents and the tone and content are so different."

The CBS producer said that some alarms bells went off last week when the signatures and initials of Killian on the documents in hand did not match up with other documents available on the public record, but producers chose to move ahead with the story. "This was too hot not to push. If there were doubts, those people didn't show it," says the producer, who works on a rival CBS News program.

Now, the producer says, there is growing concern inside the building on 57th Street that they may have been suckered by the Kerry campaign.

Forgeries ???

2004-09-09T09:11:00.000-05:00
In a previous post, I commented on the 60 Minutes hit piece last night that again attacked GWB's National Guard record.

During the presentation of the segment, Danny boy produced several "new" damning memos that supposedly proved that GWB's commander had covered for his absence from service.

The Powerline site is now reporting that these memos may be forgeries ...
Every single one of the memos to file regarding Bush's failure to attend a physical and meet other requirements is in a proportionally spaced font, probably Palatino or Times New Roman. In 1972 people used typewriters for this sort of thing (especially in the military), and typewriters used mono-spaced fonts.

The use of proportionally spaced fonts did not come into common use for office memos until the introduction high-end word processing systems from Xerox and Wang, and later of laser printers, word processing software, and personal computers. They were not widespread until the mid to late 90's.

Before then, you needed typesetting equipment, and that wasn't used for personal memos to file. Even the Wang and other systems that were dominant in the mid 80's used mono-spaced fonts. I doubt the TANG had typesetting or high-end 1st generation word processing systems.

I am saying these documents are forgeries, run through a copier for 15 generations to make them look old. This should be pursued aggressively.
It wouldn't surprise me ...

UPDATE: See, and judge for yourself ...

A previously released memo, obviously typewritten, compared to a "new memo", obviously the product of a modern word processor/printer.

(Links courtesy of Blaster's Blog)

From the Kerry Spot at NRO further evidence that the "new" memos were produced with modern technology ...
Now it appears this document includes include the superscript "th" in 187th, and as a Powerline correspondent points out, "There are no keys on any typewriter in common use in 1973 which could produce a tiny "th."

From Kerry Spot reader Christopher: "As a graphic designer, another thing pops out at me in that supposed Guard memo...the apostrophes. They don't seem consistent with a typewriter. A typewriter would have straight apostrophes, not the curly-queue kind."
Also a relevant comment from Blaster's blog ... If you're writing a memo to "cover your ass", you very likely wouldn't put "CYA" in the subject line !

If these "new memos" can be conclusively proven to be forgeries, someone should nail CBS to the wall ...

UPDATE II: The evidence is mounting ... these documents certainly appear to be forgeries! For more evidence read this post at the Junkyard Blog.

UPDATE III: Bill, over at INDC Journal contacted a noted forensic document examiner, and the examiner's opinion is that there is a high probability that the memos are forgeries.

UPDATE IV: Powerline continues to pound away on this issue, and with their latest findings I'm 100% convinced that the documents are forgeries. Go read the whole thing.

UPDATE V: Rather Biased reports that CBS is in Turmoil.

UPDATE VI: Steven Hayes, over at The Weekly Standard has published his latest article that addresses this issue.

UPDATE VII: Via Instapundit this story will be discussed on ABC's Nightline tonight.

Evasion Tactics ...

2004-09-09T08:53:00.000-05:00
The Polipundit blog has a daily running post keeping track of the elapsed time since John Kerry last answered questions from a real reporter (after claiming he would hold at least weekly press conferences).

I like the idea so much that I will be duplicating it here ...

It has now been one month and eight days since John Kerry last answered questions from a real reporter

Senator Kerry! Sign form 180! Release ALL of your records!

(Small) Milestone ...

2004-09-09T08:28:00.000-05:00
Just a note to say that the previous post was my 600th post to this blog since February 15th of this year.

Not too bad considering that I have spent at least two of the months between February and the present traveling for business !

Bush Fulfilled His TANG Obligations ...

2004-09-09T08:20:00.000-05:00
Captain Ed, over at the Captain's Quarters blog, reports that The Hill, a DC based newspaper, has analyzed the new data released by Bush earlier this year, and their analysis shows a much different picture than that painted by Kerry or the media:
The future president joined the Guard in May 1968. Almost immediately, he began an extended period of training. Six weeks of basic training. Fifty-three weeks of flight training. Twenty-one weeks of fighter-interceptor training.
That was 80 weeks to begin with, and there were other training periods thrown in as well. It was full-time work. By the time it was over, Bush had served nearly two years.

Not two years of weekends. Two years.
There is much more ... Go read the whole thing.

Kerry Supports Small Businesses ... (NOT !)

2004-09-09T08:13:00.000-05:00
Captain Ed, over at the Captain's Quarters blog, notes this report detailing Kerry's voting record with regard to small businesses. Here's a sample ...
• Of the 101 votes in the U.S. Senate that SBSC has rated since the 103rd Congress Senator Kerry’s record is unsettling. He has voted on the side of small business a mere 13 times out of the 101 votes that SBSC rated during the past decade – giving him a weak 13 percent rating on key small business issues.
• Senator Kerry voted against small business 94 percent of the time on tax-related legislation rated by SBSC. Given 34 different opportunities to support small business on tax issues, Kerry chose to do so on only two occasions.

• Given 30 different opportunities to vote on the side of small business on regulatory initiatives, Kerry chose to vote against small business 25 times.

• SBSC has rated four votes concerning the starting wage, and on every single occasion Kerry voted in favor of the wage hikes and in opposition to small business. ...

• SBSC rated eight votes on health coverage reform issues. These ranged from votes supporting the passage of health savings accounts (HSAs) to allowing self-employed small business owners to deduct their health insurance expenses to help make health coverage more
affordable. Senator Kerry voted against the interest of small business 100 percent of the time.

• Of ten votes rated by SBSC in the area of legal reform, Kerry voted in opposition to small business 90 percent of the time.
Ed then remarks ...
For a man who intends to run against George Bush on the economy, Kerry's dismal record of supporting the main component of American dynamism should not go unnoticed by the electorate. Be sure to read the entire SBSC report to learn how a Kerry/Edwards administration would unleash its hostility towards small business. John Kerry not only is wrong on the war, he's bad for the economy as well.
Go read the whole thing.

Tabloid Journalism ...

2004-09-08T21:24:00.000-05:00
I lost my resolve tonight ....

I broke down and watched Dan ~~Kerry's~~ Rather's hit piece on 60 Minutes tonight. I just had to see how bad Dan's case of "cranio-rectal inversion" would be.

It was bad ... there's no hope for Dan, "medically" speaking.

As expected, Ben Barnes came out ~~lying~~ swinging, stating that he felt remorseful after 30 years, because while he was Lt. Governor of Texas, he used his influence to get GWB into the National Guard.

Unfortunately, he neglected to mention that by the time he began his term as Lt. Governor in 1969, Bush had already been in the Guard for 6 months.

Danny boy didn't correct him ...

Neither did Danny boy see fit, as a balanced, fair, and unbiased journalist, to describe to the viewers Barnes' connections to the Kerry campaign, or the large credibility gap that this man might have due to his involvement in numerous scandals including a kickback scheme from the sale of lottery tickets.

But at least it's true ... with Rather you get what you expect!

And they wonder why viewership is down ...

However, I'm sure that Rather was preaching to the choir as far as his regular viewers (both of them) are concerned.

Tonight Rather confirmed to the world that he is on par with the best at the National Enquirer !

Jaws ......

2004-09-02T20:33:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Country Store via Right Wing News)

The VP on Kerry ...

2004-09-01T21:44:00.000-05:00
Dick Cheney, speaking tonight at the convention (paraphrased)...
Senator Kerry says he can lead a more "sensitive" War on Terror, as if Al Qaeda will be impressed by our "softer side" ...

... Senator Kerry says he will respond forcefully after any attack on America ... Senator Kerry, America has already been attacked !

... Senator Kerry says he sees "two Americas" ... America sees two John Kerry's

OUT OF THE PARK ......!!!!!

2004-09-01T21:21:00.000-05:00
Oh WOW !

Senator Zell Miller, the Democrat, speaking at the convention tonight, just belted one out of the park !

If you missed his speech, you'll be sorry you did !

UPDATE: Bryan Preston, over at the Junkyard blog agrees, and notes that during the ABC news coverage, Peter Jennings and George Stephanopolous looked "very unhappy".

He then goes on to comment ...
Those two tried peeing all over Zell Miller only to find themselves up against a 90 mile per hour headwind.

You'd be pretty unhappy if that happened to you, no?
Bwaahahahahah !

Freedom of Speech ???

2004-09-01T20:12:00.000-05:00
Take a look at this video of the "peaceful" anarchists protesting in NY city,

and realize that ...
This is the new face of the Democrat party

Economic "Girlie Men" ...

2004-08-31T21:15:00.000-05:00
Ahhhhnold, speaking tonight at the Convention (paraphrased) ...
...If you believe that the US is better at supporting democracy than the UN is, you're a Republican ...

... Don't listen to those with no faith in the American economy, they're economic "Girlie Men" ...

Kerry's Flip-Flops ...

2004-08-30T22:02:00.000-05:00
Rudy Guliani, speaking at the Republican Convention tonight, regarding Kerry's inconsistency ...
...With 64 more days until the election, John Kerry has time to change his position at least 4 or 5 more times ...

... Maybe this is what John Edwards meant by "two Americas", one America in which Kerry can vote one way on an issue, and another America where Kerry can vote the opposite way on exactly the same issue ...

The Choice ...

2004-08-30T21:22:00.000-05:00
John McCain, speaking at the Republican National Convention tonight, regarding the conflict in Iraq ...
... The choice was not between a benign status quo and the bloodshed of war, but between war and an even graver threat ...

Road Warrior ...

2004-08-30T14:35:00.000-05:00
Yet again I am on the road, traveling for business.

Blogging will be likely be light.

Thanks for coming back to check !

Sometime during the weekend I rolled over 9000 site visits since February. This is 8900 more visits than I thought I'd ever see !

Thanks to those who helped make it possible, and thanks for the recent links !

Discovery ...

2004-08-27T13:22:00.000-05:00

"You're kidding ... right? Milk doesn't really come from those thingy's back there?"

(Image courtesy of The Kerry Spot on NRO)

Eyewitness Testimony ...

2004-08-27T08:40:00.000-05:00
An eyewitness says Kerry's first Purple Heart wound was self-inflicted:
Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. said Thursday in his first on-the-record interview about the swift boat veterans dispute that "I was absolutely in the skimmer" in the early morning on Dec. 2, 1968, when Lt. (j.g.) John Kerry was involved in an incident that led to his first Purple Heart.
"Kerry nicked himself with a M-79 [grenade launcher]," Schachte said in a telephone interview from his home in Charleston, S.C. He said, "Kerry requested a Purple Heart."

...

"I was astonished by Kerry's version" [in his book Tour of Duty] of what happened Dec. 2, Schachte said Thursday. When asked to support the Kerry critics in the swift boat controversy, Schachte said, "I didn't want to get involved." But he said he gradually began to change his mind when he saw his own involvement and credibility challenged, starting with [Lanny] Davis on CNN's "Crossfire" on Aug. 12.
("Xeroxed" from the Polipundit site)

Possibilities ...

2004-08-26T23:54:00.000-05:00
"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters
will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare.

Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true."

— Robert Wilensky

John WHO ??

2004-08-26T23:49:00.000-05:00
In this Human Events article from Lucianne Goldberg's website, the exclusive story reports that former POW Jim Warner said the first time he heard the name John Kerry was when his Skid Row punishment camp captors forced him to read a transcript of a statement by John Kerry detailing America's war crimes in Vietnam.

Doesn't that just say it all ?

(Hat Tip to David Limbaugh)

Christmas in Cambodia ...

2004-08-26T15:25:00.000-05:00
The third advertisement from the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth addresses ~~Mitty's~~ Kerry's fabled Christmas in Cambodia ...
Transcript:

STEVE GARDNER: “I spent more time on John Kerry’s boat than any other crew member.

John Kerry hasn’t been honest, he’s been deceitful.

John Kerry claims that he spent Christmas in 1968 in Cambodia and that is categorically a lie.

Not in December, not in January.

We were never in Cambodia on a secret mission, ever.”

VOICE OVER: “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is responsible for the content of this advertisement.”
You can view the ad here.

(Hat Tip to The Kerry Spot on NRO)

Honesty is the Best Policy ...

2004-08-26T11:30:00.000-05:00
This has to be depressing to the Kerry camp ...

After many months of Bush bashing with the "Bush lied" meme, Rasmussen reports in a recent survey that ...
Forty-five percent (45%) of Likely Voters believe that George W. Bush is more honest and trustworthy than John Kerry. A Rasmussen Reports survey conducted in advance of the Republican National Convention found that 39% believe Kerry is the more honest and trustworthy candidate.

A Casual Observation ...

2004-08-26T11:04:00.000-05:00
Let's see now ...

Kerry decides to base his campaign almost entirely on four months of military service over 35 years ago. At the outset this would appear to be a wise choice ... what with the War on Terror driving voters to consider National and personal security as a priority.

This strategy was also intended to deflect close inspection of a lackluster 20 year Senate career, in which his legislative position(s) was more often then not "anti-military".

But for a candidate with a blatantly anti-war stance, this has proven to be a disastrous position. The accusations of the Swiftee's have been devastating ... more so for going unanswered, except for personal character attacks.

... And the left would have us believe that Bush is an idiot ???

Who Wrote Kerry's Combat Reports ?

2004-08-26T09:41:00.000-05:00
The Swiftee's have asserted that many of the details of the "Kerry Chronicles" were exaggerated by Kerry to unfairly embellish his record.

The Kerry camp has retorted that the "official Navy records" support Kerry's views.

This begs the question ... Who wrote the combat reports that form the basis of the Navy records ?

Turns out, by his own admission in sworn Senate testimony in 1971, Kerry wrote them ...
Senator, I had direct experience with that and I can recall often sending in the spot reports which we made after each mission; and including the GDA, gunfire damage assessments, in which we would say, maybe 15 sampans sunk or whatever it was. And I often read about my own missions in the Stars and Stripes and the very mission we had been on had been doubled in figures and tripled in figures...

I also think men in the military, sir, as do men in many other things, have a tendency to report what they want to report and see what they want to see.
(Emphasis mine — SCH)

So by his own words, Kerry has admitted to submitting battle reports, and also by his own words, Kerry suggested that it was not uncommon for these reports to be "less than factual".

Kerry's credibility gap get larger and larger ...

(Hat tip to The Kerry Spot on NRO)

The Kerry Chronicles and the M*A*S*H* parallel ...

2004-08-26T08:32:00.000-05:00
I loved this parody !

Go read the whole thing!

Kerry Supporters ...

2004-08-26T08:17:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

The Irony is Overwhelming ...

2004-08-25T18:26:00.000-05:00
Keith Burgess-Jackson, over at the Analphilosopher blog, comments on Democrat dishonesty ...
Has anyone else noticed the ease with which Democrats find contacts, connections, and collaboration between President Bush’s reelection campaign and various organizations (such as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth) that are running advertisements? I hear, for example, that Benjamin Ginsburg's legal representation of both President Bush and the Swifties establishes collaboration, which is illegal. Is this the same party that couldn’t find the slightest contact, connection, or collaboration between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda? Mind-boggling, isn’t it? Or maybe it’s just dishonesty.

(Emphasis mine —SCH)
The irony of the Democrats finding "connections" between the Bush campaign and the Swiftee's, but not between Saddam and Al-Qaeda is overwhelming ...

Dear Senator Kerry ...

2004-08-25T14:40:00.000-05:00
With regard to the planned visit of Max Cleland and Jim Rassmann to the President's ranch in Texas to ask Bush to denounce the Swiftee's ads (see here), Bush supporters have sent the following letter to the Kerry camp ...
Dear Senator Kerry,

We are pleased to welcome your campaign representatives to Texas today. We honor all our veterans, all whom have worn the uniform and served our country. We also honor the military and National Guard troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan today. We are very proud of all of them and believe they deserve our full support.

That's why so many veterans are troubled by your vote AGAINST funding for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, after you voted FOR sending them into battle. And that's why we are so concerned about the comments you made AFTER you came home from Vietnam. You accused your fellow veterans of terrible atrocities and, to this day, you have never apologized. Even last night, you claimed to be proud of your post-war condemnation of our actions.

We're proud of our service in Vietnam. We served honorably in Vietnam and we were deeply hurt and offended by your comments when you came home.

You can't have it both ways. You can't build your convention and much of your campaign around your service in Vietnam, and then try to say that only those veterans who agree with you have a right to speak up. There is no double standard for our right to free speech. We all earned it.

You said in 1992 "we do not need to divide America over who served and how." Yet you and your surrogates continue to criticize President Bush for his service as a fighter pilot in the National Guard.

We are veterans too -- and proud to support President Bush. He's been a strong leader, with a record of outstanding support for our veterans and for our troops in combat. He's made sure that our troops in combat have the equipment and support they need to accomplish their mission.

He has increased the VA health care budget more than 40% since 2001 -- in fact, during his four years in office, President Bush has increased veterans funding twice as much as the previous administration did in eight years ($22 billion over 4 years compared to $10 billion over 8.) And he's praised the service of all who served our country, including your service in Vietnam.

We urge you to condemn the double standard that you and your campaign have enforced regarding a veteran's right to openly express their feelings about your activities on return from Vietnam.

Sincerely,

Texas State Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson
Rep. Duke Cunningham
Rep. Duncan Hunter
Rep. Sam Johnson
Lt. General David Palmer
Robert O'Malley, Medal of Honor Recipient
James Fleming, Medal of Honor Recipient

S.O.S. !!!!

2004-08-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Cox and Forkum)

Updated: The Immigrant Vote ...

2004-08-24T20:41:00.000-05:00
I recently posted a letter to the editor published in the New York Times regarding the immigrant vote ...
Recent pushes by liberals to allow immigrants (legal and illegal, but NOT US citizens) to vote in State and US elections are a transparent attempt to unconstitutionally enlarge the Democrat voting base.

From today's New York Times, the writer of the following letter to the editor agrees ...
To the Editor:

Re "Immigrants Raise Call for Right to Be Voters" (news article, Aug. 9):

My grandparents immigrated to America with grade-school educations - healthy, employable and willing to work. They learned English and attended citizenship classes to understand the history of the United States and how our government is supposed to work. Proud American citizens, they assimilated into the culture while keeping some "old country traditions" and discarded others that adversely set them apart.

America should welcome healthy immigrants who intend to become citizens, have sponsors and will not become burdens on our social system.

Immigrants and resident aliens are granted the privilege of living here, may own property and pay taxes. This does not give them shared values and a right to determine the government leaders of the United States, its laws and its future.

The future of the United States is determined by its voting citizens, natural born and naturalized. This is our right and responsibility. Let's not give it away!

Gini Cervone Hyman
Sarasota, Fla. —Aug. 9, 2004
Today I received an e-mail from the author of the letter, requesting that I clarify her viewpoint as presented in my post. She wrote ...
Steven,

I am a Proud Democrat who happens to believe that the people who vote in the United States should be American Citizens. The way for Democrats to increase their base is to register more citizens, especially women, to vote and get them to the polls! (or fill out an absentee ballot, since I am in FL) While I may have a more liberal perspective on global, social and women's issues, I value my rights under the Constitution as much as any Republican ...

Gini C. Hyman
It is a refreshing change of pace to be involved in a meaningful exchange without involving partisan rhetoric.

Gini completed our e-mail exchange with the following insightful comment ...
I think it is important that even the most conservative of
Republicans realize that we all share more common beliefs as Americans that unite us than political hot issues that some politicians would like us to believe divide us as a nation of red and blue states.
Gini, thank you for your feedback !

Quote of the Day ...

2004-08-24T16:02:00.000-05:00
I will echo this "Quote of the Day", posted on Michelle Malkin's site, since it is so appropriate ...
From Ralph Peters' column, "Heroes Don't Shout," in today's New York Post:
...[R]eal heroes don't call themselves heroes. Honorable soldiers or sailors don't brag. They let their deeds speak for themselves. Some of the most off-putting words any veteran can utter are "I'm a war hero."
Real heroes (and I've been honored to know some) never portray their service in grandiose terms, telling TV cameras that they're reporting for duty. Real heroes may be proud of the sacrifices they offered, but they don't shout for attention.

This is so profoundly a part of the military code of behavior that it cannot be over-emphasized. The rule is that those who brag about being heroes usually aren't heroes at all. Bragging is for drunks at the end of the bar, not for real vets. And certainly not for anyone who wishes to trade on his service to become our commander-in-chief.

"Unfit for Command" flying off the shelves ...

2004-08-24T08:11:00.000-05:00
Demand for the Swiftboat Vet's book, "Unfit for Command", is soaring ... bookstores can't keep the book on the shelves, and the delivery backlog at Amazon is now approaching 5 weeks.

As reported today in the San Diego Union-Tribune ...
Regnery Publishing Inc., a small company with headquarters in Washington, D.C., originally planned to print just 40,000 copies, a very small run in the publishing business. After news commentators began talking about the book, Regnery increased the press run to 85,000. That still wasn't enough.

[…]

Regnery originally planned to release "Unfit for Command" on Sept. 1, but moved the date up two weeks in response to the media frenzy over the book.

Although the book is now in its fifth printing, temporary shortages are still expected. Major bookstore chains have reordered, but the publisher has cut the orders in half because it can't meet the demand.

"The book has become an event beyond its politics," said Dutton, the Los Angeles bookstore owner. "I've never seen anything like this." (Emphasis mine - SCH)

[…]

Regnery spokeswoman Kelley Keeler said the company expected the book to draw significant interest but didn't anticipate the avalanche of demand.

"We're working hard to make sure we get the books to our stores and customers as quickly as possible," Keeler said. "By next week, there will be over 500,000 copies of "Unfit for Command" either in print or on order."
Half a million copies !

Wow!

Kerry's campaign made the mistake of not defining their candidate in any manner other than that based on four months of military service, thirty-five years ago.

Now, it seems, the Swiftboat vets and their book are defining the Democrat candidate for the public instead ...

Rock the Vote ...

2004-08-23T21:25:00.000-05:00
As you may or may not know, Bruce Springsteen and several other groups will be touring to promote "get out the vote" specifically to oust George W. Bush. The following are two commentaries from other famous musicians:

First from Alice Cooper ...
"To me, that's treason. I call it treason against rock 'n' roll because rock is the antithesis of politics. Rock should never be in bed with politics," says the 56-year-old Cooper,

[ ... ]

"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."
This little gem was found at the Interested Participant blog, and the author further comments ...
It probably couldn't be said much better. But, unfortunately, every year there's over a million new 18-year-old potential voters whose knowledge of economics, history, and politics was gleaned from MTV.
Second from Larry Gatlin ...
Since Bruce Springsteen is about to "Rock the Vote" for John Kerry, I'd be only too happy to start booking my motel rooms to hit the road for George W. Bush. With my brothers Steve and Rudy, my buddies the Oak Ridge Boys, Lee Greenwood, Mark Wills and any number of other country music artists who get their support from the Heartland, I'm going to find the time, come fall, to tell America that we're playing, and praying, for President Bush.

Musicians can be political, and when the right time comes -- and the right cause -- they will be. But while I respect Bruce Springsteen's artistry and even his opinions on the current political situation (as expressed not long back in the New York Times), I see the world differently. Here's my take.

The intel on Iraq that President Bush saw raised red flags to some analysts and doubt in others. Some said there was an imminent threat, some said there was not. I believe that if one of Mr. Springsteen's friends were to swear to him that his house was on fire and another that it was not, he, or anybody, would surely check it out.

Well, our house was on fire. President Bush and an army of "the good guys and the good gals" checked it out. Big Time. And as a result, the bad guys have not been able to set our house on fire again.

To say, as John Kerry has, that "If attacked I will respond decisively" is not enough in today's world. Good Lord, Senator Kerry -- Barney Fife would respond decisively if we were attacked again! President Bush had the strength of will and courage to preemptively take out those who would attack us. I say "Rock on, Mr. President" (you too, Bruce). Keep checking out the bad guys and let Barney keep peace in Mayberry (a little humor in the middle of a very serious situation).

My gratitude to the president isn't confined to his role in keeping us safe. His tax cuts have helped all Americans who pay federal income taxes and have jump-started an economy that was in recession through no fault of President Bush. Those who refuse to see that have their heads in the sand and a "Kerry for President" bumper sticker on their SUVs. (I'd say the former condition is pretty much a prerequisite for the latter.) I'm no economist, but I do know two things for sure: I never got a job from a poor man; and the more money people have in their pockets, the more jobs they create by spending that money.

President Bush's attempts at education reform have been thwarted at every turn for fear that vouchers might actually work. (Imagine that, Ted Kennedy!) His faith-based initiatives tried to help those who can't help themselves, only to be "shot down" for fear that someone might get well and that God might have something to do with it. I was lucky. I had the money for my little "28-day vacation in pajamas" 20 years ago. There are millions out there who are not so lucky. So they die in the back streets of America for want of help. God only knows how many. (But there's the rub -- we can't say God and government on the same page.)

In closing, I'd say this to Bruce Springsteen: We do have something in common -- we were both "Born in the USA." From the bottom of my heart I say, Thank God.
Would that more entertainers held the same views as Larry !

(Hat Tip to the Powerline blog for the Gatlin commentary)