Join a GATHERING OF EAGLES in Washington, DC on March 17, 2007 ..... Participants will be gathering at The Wall and other memorials to protect them from anti-war vandals.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
MSM Tourniquet for the Slow Bleeding Dems
From the (gasp!) Washington Post:
Not the 'Real Vote'
Or so Rep. John Murtha says of the House's Iraq resolution.
Saturday, February 17, 2007; Page A30
REP. JOHN MURTHA (D-Pa.) has a message for anyone who spent the week following the House of Representatives' marathon debate on Iraq: You've been distracted by a sideshow. "We have to be careful that people don't think this is the vote," the 74-year-old congressman said of the House's 246-182 decision in favor of a resolution disapproving of President Bush's troop surge. "The real vote will come on the legislation we're putting together." That would be Mr. Murtha's plan to "stop the surge" and "force a redeployment" of U.S. forces from Iraq while ducking the responsibility that should come with such a radical step.
We'll return to Mr. Murtha's plan, but first it's worth considering the five days of debate that he so breezily dismissed. It's true that nonbinding resolutions won't stop the troop surge, which is already underway. But after years of minimal debate and oversight of the war, the House Democratic leadership was right to allow scores of representatives to speak at some length on Iraq. Some of the speeches were little more than partisan rhetoric, but there were also intelligent and heartfelt interventions, especially from veterans of Iraq and Vietnam.
The House vote does matter: It ought to increase the pressure on Mr. Bush and the Iraqi government to follow through on their pledges to accompany the military campaign with tangible steps toward political accords and economic reconstruction. Senate leaders would be wise to reach an agreement today allowing a similar debate. And both chambers should aggressively conduct oversight hearings aimed at holding the administration to its promise to link continued U.S. troop deployments to Iraqi performance.
Mr. Murtha has a different idea. He would stop the surge by crudely hamstringing the ability of military commanders to deploy troops. In an interview carried Thursday by the Web site MoveCongress.org, Mr. Murtha said he would attach language to a war funding bill that would prohibit the redeployment of units that have been at home for less than a year, stop the extension of tours beyond 12 months, and prohibit units from shipping out if they do not train with all of their equipment. His aim, he made clear, is not to improve readiness but to "stop the surge." So why not straightforwardly strip the money out of the appropriations bill -- an action Congress is clearly empowered to take -- rather than try to micromanage the Army in a way that may be unconstitutional? Because, Mr. Murtha said, it will deflect accusations that he is trying to do what he is trying to do. "What we are saying will be very hard to find fault with," he said.
Mr. Murtha's cynicism is matched by an alarming ignorance about conditions in Iraq. He continues to insist that Iraq "would be more stable with us out of there," in spite of the consensus of U.S. intelligence agencies that early withdrawal would produce "massive civilian casualties." He says he wants to force the administration to "bulldoze" the Abu Ghraib prison, even though it was emptied of prisoners and turned over to the Iraqi government last year. He wants to "get our troops out of the Green Zone" because "they are living in Saddam Hussein's palace"; could he be unaware that the zone's primary occupants are the Iraqi government and the U.S. Embassy?
It would be nice to believe that Mr. Murtha does not represent the mainstream of the Democratic Party or the thinking of its leadership. Yet when asked about Mr. Murtha's remarks Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered her support. Does Ms. Pelosi really believe that the debate she orchestrated this week was not "the real vote"? If the answer is yes, she is maneuvering her party in a way that can only do it harm.
Thank you, WP. It's about time MSM woke up and told the world what is REALLY happening.
Not the 'Real Vote'
Or so Rep. John Murtha says of the House's Iraq resolution.
Saturday, February 17, 2007; Page A30
REP. JOHN MURTHA (D-Pa.) has a message for anyone who spent the week following the House of Representatives' marathon debate on Iraq: You've been distracted by a sideshow. "We have to be careful that people don't think this is the vote," the 74-year-old congressman said of the House's 246-182 decision in favor of a resolution disapproving of President Bush's troop surge. "The real vote will come on the legislation we're putting together." That would be Mr. Murtha's plan to "stop the surge" and "force a redeployment" of U.S. forces from Iraq while ducking the responsibility that should come with such a radical step.
We'll return to Mr. Murtha's plan, but first it's worth considering the five days of debate that he so breezily dismissed. It's true that nonbinding resolutions won't stop the troop surge, which is already underway. But after years of minimal debate and oversight of the war, the House Democratic leadership was right to allow scores of representatives to speak at some length on Iraq. Some of the speeches were little more than partisan rhetoric, but there were also intelligent and heartfelt interventions, especially from veterans of Iraq and Vietnam.
The House vote does matter: It ought to increase the pressure on Mr. Bush and the Iraqi government to follow through on their pledges to accompany the military campaign with tangible steps toward political accords and economic reconstruction. Senate leaders would be wise to reach an agreement today allowing a similar debate. And both chambers should aggressively conduct oversight hearings aimed at holding the administration to its promise to link continued U.S. troop deployments to Iraqi performance.
Mr. Murtha has a different idea. He would stop the surge by crudely hamstringing the ability of military commanders to deploy troops. In an interview carried Thursday by the Web site MoveCongress.org, Mr. Murtha said he would attach language to a war funding bill that would prohibit the redeployment of units that have been at home for less than a year, stop the extension of tours beyond 12 months, and prohibit units from shipping out if they do not train with all of their equipment. His aim, he made clear, is not to improve readiness but to "stop the surge." So why not straightforwardly strip the money out of the appropriations bill -- an action Congress is clearly empowered to take -- rather than try to micromanage the Army in a way that may be unconstitutional? Because, Mr. Murtha said, it will deflect accusations that he is trying to do what he is trying to do. "What we are saying will be very hard to find fault with," he said.
Mr. Murtha's cynicism is matched by an alarming ignorance about conditions in Iraq. He continues to insist that Iraq "would be more stable with us out of there," in spite of the consensus of U.S. intelligence agencies that early withdrawal would produce "massive civilian casualties." He says he wants to force the administration to "bulldoze" the Abu Ghraib prison, even though it was emptied of prisoners and turned over to the Iraqi government last year. He wants to "get our troops out of the Green Zone" because "they are living in Saddam Hussein's palace"; could he be unaware that the zone's primary occupants are the Iraqi government and the U.S. Embassy?
It would be nice to believe that Mr. Murtha does not represent the mainstream of the Democratic Party or the thinking of its leadership. Yet when asked about Mr. Murtha's remarks Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered her support. Does Ms. Pelosi really believe that the debate she orchestrated this week was not "the real vote"? If the answer is yes, she is maneuvering her party in a way that can only do it harm.
Thank you, WP. It's about time MSM woke up and told the world what is REALLY happening.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Hillary's Health Care Plan
All we need. Socialized medicine. Quick fixes. Long lines. Just check out this secret plan in Hillary's universal health care package ...1. Stare into the cat's eyes.
2. Now watch these puppies.
3. Take the elevator down to the medical assessment area, please.
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4. Come back in six months. Your cat scan and lab work will require FURRther assessment!
hee hee hee hee hee.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Beyond THE PLEDGE
I stand with Perish the Thought and our troops.
If democrats want to place politics and personal ambition above supporting our military mission in Iraq, let them be bound by their defeatist "un-binding" resolution.
I signed THE PLEDGE.
If democrats want to place politics and personal ambition above supporting our military mission in Iraq, let them be bound by their defeatist "un-binding" resolution.
I signed THE PLEDGE.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Happy Holidays!
Learning that Iraqi militia leaders are discussing the possibility of halting their assaults on one another may be the gift of a life-time for Iraqis, for the Middle East and for our troops in harm's way .... It is a long-overdue step in the right direction. Iraqis SHOULD soon be assuming responsibility for their own security, economic welfare and progress. While I'm not one to believe that our troops will ever literally be "brought home enmass," i.e., without some in-country support system to aid the Iraqis -- I pray that my positive feelings about the region are a sign of the future.
Moving to the middle, after all -- should be the goal of most societies and religions and politicians .... with respect for all .... May there be peace throughout the region of the birthplace of Christ ....
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and especially warm wishes for a more peaceful New Year!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Al-Qaeda Congratulates Democrats --
.... then reaffirms their intent to bomb the White House.
That sure caught everyone by surprise. I refer to the threat, of course. Here's what the AFP reports:
Another alpha-bet chief in Iraq threatened (in an audio message posted on the Internet) that the Al-Qaeda et al terror network will "blow up the White House" among other rants and warnings.
Alphabet-man's rhetoric has a familiar ring ....... Many of his observations appear to have been lifted right out of recent campaign speeches .... You don't think ..... nahhhhhh .... no way.
No way.
Ya think?
That sure caught everyone by surprise. I refer to the threat, of course. Here's what the AFP reports:
Another alpha-bet chief in Iraq threatened (in an audio message posted on the Internet) that the Al-Qaeda et al terror network will "blow up the White House" among other rants and warnings.
"We announce today the end of a phase of the jihad (holy war) and the start of a new one... to usher in the project of an Islamic caliphate and restore Islam's glory," Abu Hamza al-Muhajer said in the message.
"We swear we will not rest from our jihad... before blowing up the filthiest house, dubbed the White House," in the course of establishing the caliphate which began with the proclamation of an Islamic state in Iraq, he said.
"The location chosen by your mujahedeen brethren to set up their state... is but a stepping stone for the leap," Muhajer said, referring to the "Islamic state of Iraq" proclaimed last month.
An alliance of Sunni insurgents headed by the Iraq branch of Al-Qaeda announced the creation of an independent Islamic emirate in Iraq in a video posted on the Internet on October 15, after parliament in Baghdad approved a federal constitution for the war-ravaged country.
In Friday's message, Muhajer said he had mobilized 12,000 fighters for the Islamic state and was grooming 10,000 more.
"I tell the commander of the faithful, the honorable Sheikh Abu Omar al-Baghdadi: I have put 12,000 Al-Qaeda fighters at the disposal of the Islamic state of Iraq," Muhajer said, pledging allegiance to the state's emir.
The Al-Qaeda chief appealed to major Iraqi Sunni insurgent groups, notably the Army of Ansar al-Sunna, the Islamic Army of Iraq and the Mujahedeen's Army, to endorse the self-styled state and pledge allegiance to its emir.
Muhajer slammed US President George W. Bush, gloated over his Republican party's defeat in mid-term elections widely attributed to US involvement in Iraq, and said US forces occupying the country were preparing to cut and run.
"The enemy is now teetering under the blows of the mujahedeen... and preparing to pack up and flee," he said.
"I thank the most stupid and worst president America -- the country of slaves and drugs -- has ever had for giving us this great historic opportunity," said the voice.
"The American people have taken the first step on the right path in order to get out of their impasse and have started to realize the treachery of their president and his subordination to Israel, voting for a measure of reason in the latest elections," Muhajer said.
"I tell (Bush): don't hurry to flee like your defense minister (Donald Rumsfeld, who resigned Wednesday). We have still not quenched our thirst for your blood."
Muhajer also charged that Bush's policies had enabled Shiite Iran to spread its influence in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries.
Alphabet-man's rhetoric has a familiar ring ....... Many of his observations appear to have been lifted right out of recent campaign speeches .... You don't think ..... nahhhhhh .... no way.
No way.
Ya think?
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Armistice (Post-Election) Time
With rumors that Allen will concede the VA election (though Burns is still holding out), what we need is to call for an election armistice and get back to the business of politics -- I mean, governing.Saturday is the real Armistice Day, by the way. It's now called Veterans Day.
Here, let Garrison Keillor explain it for you. He's a liberal, but he at least surrounds himself with what appears to be a down-homesy staff that edits politics from his newsletter (can't say the same for his live shows).
November 11 was originally called Armistice Day because it was on this day in 1918 that the First World War came to an end. After four years of brutal trench fighting, 9 million soldiers had died and 21 million were wounded. It was called "The War to End All Wars," because it was the bloodiest war in history up to that point, and it made many people so sick of war that they hoped no war would ever break out again.
Many intellectuals and artists were disillusioned by the war. The philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "All this madness, all this rage, all this flaming death of our civilization and our hopes, has been brought about because a set of official gentlemen, living luxurious lives, mostly stupid, and all without imagination or heart, have chosen that it should occur rather than that any one of them should suffer some infinitesimal rebuff to his country's pride."
Fly a flag on Saturday. If there is a Veterans parade or commemorative service in your area, take the kids ..... Appreciation, honor, respect, etc., begin at home.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Bush Derangement Syndrome
It doesn't take much to entertain me, so I thought I'd play along with this BDS alert icon. Problem is, if I used it everytime it was relevant --- I'd overload my free bandwidth!
I'll make it simple ......
Everytime you see or hear one of the following politicos:
Evan Bayh (1955), U.S. senator from Indiana
Joseph Biden (1942), U.S. senator from Delaware, candidate for the Democratic nomination for president
Kathleen Blanco (1942), Governor of Louisiana
Barbara Boxer (1940), U.S. senator from California
Phil Bredesen (1943), Governor of Tennessee
Jerry Brown (1938), mayor of Oakland, California, former governor of California, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Robert Byrd (1917), U.S. senator from West Virginia, former Senate Majority Leader, candidate for the Democratic nomination for president
Wesley Clark (1944), former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Bill Clinton (1946), Attorney General of Arkansas 1976-1978, Governor of Arkansas 1978-1980, 1982-1992, President of the United States of America, 1993-2001
Hillary Clinton (1947), U.S. senator from New York, former First Lady
Jimmy Carter (1924), State Senator, Georgia 1962-1966, Governor of Georgia 1971-1975, Chairman, Democratic National Committee Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections 1974, President of the United States, 1977-1981, Founder, Carter Center, 1982- ,Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, 2002
Richard Codey (1946), Governor of New Jersey, 2004-2006
John Conyers (1929), U.S. congressman from Michigan
Jon S. Corzine (1947), Governor of New Jersey and former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
Richard M. Daley (1942), mayor of Chicago, Illinois
Tom Daschle (1947), former U.S. senator from South Dakota, former Senate Minority Leader
Howard Dean (1948), former governor of Vermont, candidate for Democratic nomination for president, current chair of the Democratic National Committee
Richard Durbin, (1944), U.S. senator from Illinois, Senate Minority Whip
Mike Easley, (1950), Governor of North Carolina
John Edwards (1953), former U.S. senator from North Carolina, candidate for Democratic nomination for President, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee 2004
Russ Feingold (1953), U.S. senator from Wisconsin
Albert Gore Jr. (1948), Former U.S. senator and congressman from Tennessee, former Vice President of the United States, 1993-2001, Democratic Presidential Candiate, 2000, filmmaker
Tom Harkin (1939), U.S. senator from Iowa, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Jesse Jackson (1941), civil rights activist, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Tim Kaine (1958), former Lieutenant Governor and current Governor of Virginia
Ted Kennedy (1932), U.S. senator from Massachusetts, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
John F. Kerry (1943), U.S. senator from Massachusetts, 2004 Democratic nomminee for president, possible 2008 candidate
Dennis Kucinich (1946), U.S. congressman from Ohio, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Frank R. Lautenberg (1924), U.S. senator from New Jersey
Patrick Leahy (1940), U.S. senator from Vermont
Zell Miller (1932), former Governor and former U.S. senator from Georgia
Norman Mineta (1931), Secretary of Transportation, only Democrat in the Bush cabinet.
James E. McGreevey (1957), Governor of New Jersey, 2002-2004
Cynthia McKinney (1955), U.S. congresswoman from Georgia
Barack Obama (1961), U.S. senator from Illinois
Martin O'Malley, mayor of Baltimore, candidate for governor of Maryland
Nancy Pelosi (1940), House Minority Leader from California
Harry Reid (1939), Senate Minority Leader from Nevada
Bill Richardson (1947), governor of New Mexico, former Energy Secretary
Charles Schumer (1950), U.S. senator from New York, chairman of Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Al Sharpton (1954), civil rights activist, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Louise Slaughter (1929), U.S. congresswoman from New York, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee
Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of New York, candidate for governor of New York
Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, California
James Hahn, Los Angeles City Controller 1981-1985, Los Angeles City Attorney 1985-2001, Mayor of Los Angeles 2001-2005
Tom Vilsack (1950), governor of Iowa, chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council
Mark Warner (1954), former governor of Virginia
Anthony A. Williams (1951) , mayor of Washington, D.C.
and their lips are moving ---- consider yourself on
I'll make it simple ......
Everytime you see or hear one of the following politicos:
Evan Bayh (1955), U.S. senator from Indiana
Joseph Biden (1942), U.S. senator from Delaware, candidate for the Democratic nomination for president
Kathleen Blanco (1942), Governor of Louisiana
Barbara Boxer (1940), U.S. senator from California
Phil Bredesen (1943), Governor of Tennessee
Jerry Brown (1938), mayor of Oakland, California, former governor of California, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Robert Byrd (1917), U.S. senator from West Virginia, former Senate Majority Leader, candidate for the Democratic nomination for president
Wesley Clark (1944), former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Bill Clinton (1946), Attorney General of Arkansas 1976-1978, Governor of Arkansas 1978-1980, 1982-1992, President of the United States of America, 1993-2001
Hillary Clinton (1947), U.S. senator from New York, former First Lady
Jimmy Carter (1924), State Senator, Georgia 1962-1966, Governor of Georgia 1971-1975, Chairman, Democratic National Committee Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections 1974, President of the United States, 1977-1981, Founder, Carter Center, 1982- ,Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, 2002
Richard Codey (1946), Governor of New Jersey, 2004-2006
John Conyers (1929), U.S. congressman from Michigan
Jon S. Corzine (1947), Governor of New Jersey and former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
Richard M. Daley (1942), mayor of Chicago, Illinois
Tom Daschle (1947), former U.S. senator from South Dakota, former Senate Minority Leader
Howard Dean (1948), former governor of Vermont, candidate for Democratic nomination for president, current chair of the Democratic National Committee
Richard Durbin, (1944), U.S. senator from Illinois, Senate Minority Whip
Mike Easley, (1950), Governor of North Carolina
John Edwards (1953), former U.S. senator from North Carolina, candidate for Democratic nomination for President, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee 2004
Russ Feingold (1953), U.S. senator from Wisconsin
Albert Gore Jr. (1948), Former U.S. senator and congressman from Tennessee, former Vice President of the United States, 1993-2001, Democratic Presidential Candiate, 2000, filmmaker
Tom Harkin (1939), U.S. senator from Iowa, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Jesse Jackson (1941), civil rights activist, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Tim Kaine (1958), former Lieutenant Governor and current Governor of Virginia
Ted Kennedy (1932), U.S. senator from Massachusetts, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
John F. Kerry (1943), U.S. senator from Massachusetts, 2004 Democratic nomminee for president, possible 2008 candidate
Dennis Kucinich (1946), U.S. congressman from Ohio, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Frank R. Lautenberg (1924), U.S. senator from New Jersey
Patrick Leahy (1940), U.S. senator from Vermont
Zell Miller (1932), former Governor and former U.S. senator from Georgia
Norman Mineta (1931), Secretary of Transportation, only Democrat in the Bush cabinet.
James E. McGreevey (1957), Governor of New Jersey, 2002-2004
Cynthia McKinney (1955), U.S. congresswoman from Georgia
Barack Obama (1961), U.S. senator from Illinois
Martin O'Malley, mayor of Baltimore, candidate for governor of Maryland
Nancy Pelosi (1940), House Minority Leader from California
Harry Reid (1939), Senate Minority Leader from Nevada
Bill Richardson (1947), governor of New Mexico, former Energy Secretary
Charles Schumer (1950), U.S. senator from New York, chairman of Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Al Sharpton (1954), civil rights activist, candidate for Democratic nomination for president
Louise Slaughter (1929), U.S. congresswoman from New York, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee
Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of New York, candidate for governor of New York
Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, California
James Hahn, Los Angeles City Controller 1981-1985, Los Angeles City Attorney 1985-2001, Mayor of Los Angeles 2001-2005
Tom Vilsack (1950), governor of Iowa, chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council
Mark Warner (1954), former governor of Virginia
Anthony A. Williams (1951) , mayor of Washington, D.C.
and their lips are moving ---- consider yourself on
Remembering Sept. 11, 2001
I intended to volunteer to write a tribute to one fallen victim, but my life was topsy-turvey during the original sign-up. I did end up reading the tributes, however, and finally decided that what I might do was compile links to articles written by the survivors of 9-11. They, too, are part of the remembrance .....
* Attack on America: Eleven personal stories by people who escaped the Pentagon or the World Trade Center with links to many other accounts and from people who share their stories and thoughts.
* Voices of 9/11: Video testimonies by survivors and victims' family members.
* My Story: Stories, essays and images from around the world.
* Images and Headlines: From news reports around the world.
* Flight 93: The story of their lives and their destiny.
* New York City: After the fall.
* Where Were You?: 2000 stories by individuals from around the world.
* Missing Pieces: Witness Testimonies and Reflections
I plan to continue to add sites. It's the least I can do to honor the memory of those lost and affected by 9/11 .....
Also see Honoring 9/11 Victims.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Honoring 9-11 Victims
What an amazing event.
2,996 bloggers contributing tributes to victims of the 9-11 tragedy. I'm actually amazed that bloggers from all walks of life are/have been able to do this a-politically.
Some have walked a thin line, but altogether, the overwhelming majority of posted tributes are focused on an assigned victim.
The target date for all posts to be online is Tuesday, September 11.
Here's some music Gullspirit found online and has posted with her tribute to Lynn Goodchild at Perish the Thought. It's an original composition by Lynn Skinner.
VOICES FROM THE SKY download
Flocks of paper flying
Faces bent from crying
Traces of a skyline
On a morning that will never die
Smoky silence burning
Broken sky returning
Echoes in a stairwell
On a morning that will never die
Missing voices whisper through the broken sky
Live your lifeand we will never die...
Some have walked a thin line, but altogether, the overwhelming majority of posted tributes are focused on an assigned victim.
The target date for all posts to be online is Tuesday, September 11.
Here's some music Gullspirit found online and has posted with her tribute to Lynn Goodchild at Perish the Thought. It's an original composition by Lynn Skinner.
VOICES FROM THE SKY download
Flocks of paper flying
Faces bent from crying
Traces of a skyline
On a morning that will never die
Smoky silence burning
Broken sky returning
Echoes in a stairwell
On a morning that will never die
Missing voices whisper through the broken sky
Live your lifeand we will never die...
Let it play as you read the tribute to Lynn Goodchild. It will definitely put you in a reflective mood.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Hezbollah Bunker at UNIFIL Post
If there had been any doubt that UNIFIL "peacekeeping" forces were objective in their duties to monitor the Israel-Lebanon border -- fugeddaboutit.
There is something rotten in Lebanon and in the United Nations .....
This is a digital animation of the expansive Hezbollah bunker system being destroyed near the Israeli border by IDF troops. It's located within yards of a UNIFIL outpost:
Credits and links to videos of these bunkers being destroyed by IDF are at Perish the Thought .....
Perish the Thought ...
Rhet invited me to post here while PtT and Blogdrive are down ..... bummer. Bummer that blogdrive is down, I mean. Blogspot rules -- regardless of where I officially hang my blogging hat!
Thanks, Rhet. And thanks, Blogspot for your reliability!
Thanks, Rhet. And thanks, Blogspot for your reliability!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Israel a Mistake???
Reprinted with permission of editors at Perish the Thought:
Alaichem sholom ...
For two days I've read various op-eds and blogs RE: the title above. The most succinct response I've read to date is Don Singleton's one-word summation: Sickening.
One of my life-long goals has been to return to the land of my heritage.
As a child, I would sit at my grandfather's knee for hours, listening to stories told to him by his grandfather .... about two brothers who were driven from (what is now) Israel to Germany, and subsequently traveled to America in the mid-1700's.
From Pennsylvania, they migrated with a Moravian delegation to what would become Salem Colony in North Carolina ....
My grandfather always believed that the brothers hid their Jewish heritage and claimed the Moravian (or Luthuran) faith to avoid continuous persecution. It did not matter, he would say.
What mattered, he espoused, was that many years later, the last surviving brother disowned his children and grandchildren because they refused to honor the language (Yiddish) and traditions of their heritage. The family argued and split into two factions: one remained in the southern mountains and the other moved to the higher mountains -- one claiming their ethnic background as German; the other as English -- both denying their Jewish heritage.
(The surviving brother subsequently died a lonely man -- alienated from family and friends -- to have his land and wealth scattered among survivors ... his only legacy being his name on the road that still traverses his once-prosperous estate.)
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The young brothers were stone masons by trade (albeit womanizers by night) and earned their keep by laying the foundations and walls of buildings which still stand in historic Old Salem.
In the most socially acceptable of terms, my grandfather would explain how at least one female acquaintance became with-child, precipitating the brothers' expulsion (with two women) from Salem settlement -- highlighted by head-shavings and (for the brothers, at least) a ferried rail-ride across the (once) mighty Yadkin River.
The disgraced four-some traveled westward toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, likely stopping in settlements developing in (once the Great State of) Wilkes ....
My grandfather always insisted (for the sake of propriety, I'm sure) that the brothers and their trail-mates were properly married (in the old Boone region) long before they settled in the northwest section of Surry County to raise their families.
As evidence of these stories (sans my grandfather's embellishments), I have letters written by my grandfather's grandfather to his cousins and brothers .... in Yiddish ... pleading with them to honor and cherish the traditions of their heritage.
Possibly I or my children will one day be able to honor the traditions of our heritage. To deny anyone that right -- much less to denigrate that right -- bespeaks a disrespect more base, more despicable than sickening, however.
Godspeed, Israel. May you find peace and security in the Land and Traditions you honor.
Alaichem sholom ...
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Repubs NEED Gregory
Gull referred to NBC's David Gregory as an MSM poster boy yesterday at Perish the Thought.
We agree.
But we don't want him fired, as folks at http://www.firedavidgregory.com/ are requesting.
Voters need to see unhinged moonbattery up close and personally!
Keep those outta control sound bytes and Imus calls coming, David!
We agree.
But we don't want him fired, as folks at http://www.firedavidgregory.com/ are requesting.
Voters need to see unhinged moonbattery up close and personally!
Keep those outta control sound bytes and Imus calls coming, David!
Saturday, March 04, 2006
What Went Right
For those who still question main stream media's reporting of the aftermath of Katrina -- this is a must-read:
Naginizing the Future of New Orleans
To Naginize or Naginizing: the ability to be held unaccountable for negative calamity; the failure to act proactively in the face of pending disaster; to shirk responsibility for what may happen within an elected official's jurisdiction, unless it involves taking credit or blaming others; alternately wringing hands or sitting on them. Alternate definition: to draw a Blanco.
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''The next season may be worse than the past two, which resulted in an increase in the number and intensity of hurricanes that hit U.S. shores.''
Max Mayfield, Director of the National Hurricane Center, has spoken. Again.
Does Governor Blanco watch cable? How about the Weather Channel? What happened to those federal funds for communications systems, by the way? Nothing like a hand-tooled exotic leather briefcase and gold-plated faucets when you need to stay informed, eh?
And Nagin?
Somebody tie a string around Nagin's -- uhhhh ...... finger and remind him dry out that evacuation plan and line up a few bus drivers.
They're still sitting WHERE?
Oh, yeah. That's right. The mayor has been toooo busy planning mardi gras (yes, it rained on that parade as well) and poor-mouthing the New Orleans plight (bad-bad feds won't set up those doublewides in a flood plain).
But, hey -- It's time to set priorities!! Crunch time in the Big Easy! Just a few weeks or so before -- not hurricane season -- but elections!
This week Nagin is over in Texas campaigning amongst evacuees in a bid for re-election as mayor of New Orleans.
He'll probably be resourceful enuff to crank up those buses and transport ballot boxes over to Texas to collect the votes!
Whatta guy.
-- gull (http://journals.aol.com/gullspirit/PerishTheThought)
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''The next season may be worse than the past two, which resulted in an increase in the number and intensity of hurricanes that hit U.S. shores.''
Max Mayfield, Director of the National Hurricane Center, has spoken. Again.
Does Governor Blanco watch cable? How about the Weather Channel? What happened to those federal funds for communications systems, by the way? Nothing like a hand-tooled exotic leather briefcase and gold-plated faucets when you need to stay informed, eh?
And Nagin?
Somebody tie a string around Nagin's -- uhhhh ...... finger and remind him dry out that evacuation plan and line up a few bus drivers.
They're still sitting WHERE?
Oh, yeah. That's right. The mayor has been toooo busy planning mardi gras (yes, it rained on that parade as well) and poor-mouthing the New Orleans plight (bad-bad feds won't set up those doublewides in a flood plain).
But, hey -- It's time to set priorities!! Crunch time in the Big Easy! Just a few weeks or so before -- not hurricane season -- but elections!
This week Nagin is over in Texas campaigning amongst evacuees in a bid for re-election as mayor of New Orleans.
He'll probably be resourceful enuff to crank up those buses and transport ballot boxes over to Texas to collect the votes!
Whatta guy.
-- gull (http://journals.aol.com/gullspirit/PerishTheThought)
The Get-Bush Conspiracy
"I don't fear Big Brother; I fear Big Smother."
-----------------------------------------------
[a scenario] MSM mogul to publishers: Things are looking brighter on the Bush front despite that CBS poll ... We need a new distraction .... If you can't find a controversy, create one ... Bush is over in India and Pakistan doing things that might strengthen his work against terrorism .... Let's revisit Katrina again -- run that news release from the hurricane center and get our editors busy on those video tapes -- see what they can muster ..... whatever you find, leak it to Shep over at Fox .... back off the Bill and Hillary port dispute .... Ask Laura what she thinks, see what the twins are doing or better yet, find a reporter embedded with the President and have him call a few radio talk shows ....
--------------------------
We pay good money to be entertained by twisted minds on the screen and in print. Now we learn similarly twisted and obsessed minds are promoting major news releases.
Recent headlines (see AOL, CBS and AP wires) show the full impact of the * Bush Derangement Syndrome.
AP may not have actually faked the recently "edited" video to support their claim that "Bush knew" about the New Orleans levy breach before it happened, etc., but nonetheless, AP found reason to apologize for editing omissions.
Omissions?
What about the misleading inclusions????
Why would an allegedly reputable news service need to apologize for reporting "news?"
Why would a responsible news agency promote a false survey (such as the recent CBS poll reported by AOL) to indicate Bush's decline in popularity, etc.?
What a crock.
Someone had to decide which pieces of the video to cut and which to paste. Someone had to approve it post-editing. You don't just randomly edit items in or out without purpose any more than you randomly select "news" to feature or headlines that mislead -- or any more than randomly [accidentally?] orchestrate a slanted survey .... Do you?
Seems the person involved with the video editing was none other than a producer for the infamous CBS "discovery" of a [faked] memo about George Bush's military service. You remember that one, don't you? It was conveniently "discovered" right before the elections. Dan Rather lost his job because of that one.
Will an editor lose his/her job at AP over the "edited" video? Ohhhhh, some editor might be buried in the editing lab for a while or sent to the Food Gazette for a few months. The Associated Press, a mainstay in the Fourth Estate (the guardians of government) will probably slide by with its milk-toast apology. News outlets are too dependent upon the AP to jeopardize headlining their bias!
What is it with mainstream media's need to defame George Bush? Why do major networks and agencies risk professional reputations to defame a sitting president?
Thanks to the blogosphere, the answer becomes fairly obvious.
The press as an institution -- the Fourth Estate, the guardian of government -- is no longer "free." It is owned by private enterprises. It's manipulated by agendas.
The press (i.e., main stream media) is controlled by corporate boards and billionaires who "agenda-dize" the slant of news to project their own political, economic, global and social perspectives.
(It's like a privately-owned non-state-controlled press, if you think in terms of the intended Constitutional protection. Except the MSM has somehow distended its purpose not to simply monitor government and inform the public, but to manipulate public opinion against the government -- unless, of course, the non-state-controlled press happens to support the current government .... At which point, the non-state-controlled press freely exercises its version of free speech to either support, criticize, feature, slant, bury or inform the public of what they perceive as newsworthy -- even it means altering facts ....)
But I digress.
Ever wonder why we don't hear or read about more "good" news? (Pick a topic. Any topic.)
Justcheck the who's-who on media conglomerate boards. Cross-reference the owners/members with lists of political donors and "philanthropic" foundations which these board members support or own. Check their contributions to Political Action Committees and "store front" 157 sub-groups (exempt form political contribution regulations) that silently fund political agendas, ad campaigns, news feeds and, yes -- protests, marches and riots on the national and global front.
Go ahead. Check them out. Check the lists of political donors across party lines. You might discern that a few donors frequently "hide" political support/contributions through their wives or children or their own foundation(s). If you are aware of (even among Internet moguls) who supports which political party or candidate or cause, you'll gain some insight into why featured MSM news reports carry certain "slants" among the most "independent" carriers!
It's intentional, by the way. And it didn't just happen during the last two presidential elections.
Why is this relevant?
It's relevant because it has become so blatant, flagrant and alarmingly obsessive. It's unhealthy for everyone, including our institutions.
Our guardians of government (the Fourth Estate turned agenda-operatives) have lost it -- lost it somewhere between responsible journalism and op-ed agenda-based news.
Reporters and editors have "bought in" to promoting agenda-perspectives and have sacrificed all standards of professionalism to destroy one man and discredit a national sentiment that elected him.
Note to the MSM: it wasn't JUST conservatives who voted for GWB, by the way.
They (the MSM -- the bastions of thoughts and controllers of how-America-should-be) cannot accept that the average American has the capacity to think, assess, identify or understand their own needs, interests AND preferences.
MSM has, without question -- lost a prevailing sense of mission and integrity -- has become so fixatedon one man that they go so far as to fabricate scenarios to discredit him. Furthermore, they portend to demean those who dare to express support for any program under his administration.
What's the future of MSM?
I hope bleak.
I don't fear Big Brother; I fear Big Smother. I don't fear an elected government official; I fear a manipulative media that insolates my view of government and the world.
Need a prime-time example?
Meet the new MSM poster boy (a member of the White House Press Corps who finally stepped over the edge) -- NBC's David Gregory who tops his press-conference temper-tantrums by calling a talk radio show in a drunken giggle-fit while traveling with the President. What was he trying to say? Do? The guy needs help beyond a weekend anger-management retreat or an AA sponsor. I wonder if his days in the WH corps might be numbered ....
Of course, you won't read any of this as headlines in the MSM. They're much too focused on editing videos, orchestrating new polls or monitoring potential riots in the streets of where-ever-bush-might-go-next.
* Bush Derangement Syndrome: "The acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush."
-- Gull (http://journals.aol.com/gullspirit/PerishTheThought)
update: The AP did not "apologize" for the misleading video. The moonbats simply issued a "correction." My error, with apology for giving those slimeballs credit.
-----------------------------------------------
[a scenario] MSM mogul to publishers: Things are looking brighter on the Bush front despite that CBS poll ... We need a new distraction .... If you can't find a controversy, create one ... Bush is over in India and Pakistan doing things that might strengthen his work against terrorism .... Let's revisit Katrina again -- run that news release from the hurricane center and get our editors busy on those video tapes -- see what they can muster ..... whatever you find, leak it to Shep over at Fox .... back off the Bill and Hillary port dispute .... Ask Laura what she thinks, see what the twins are doing or better yet, find a reporter embedded with the President and have him call a few radio talk shows ....
--------------------------
We pay good money to be entertained by twisted minds on the screen and in print. Now we learn similarly twisted and obsessed minds are promoting major news releases.
Recent headlines (see AOL, CBS and AP wires) show the full impact of the * Bush Derangement Syndrome.
AP may not have actually faked the recently "edited" video to support their claim that "Bush knew" about the New Orleans levy breach before it happened, etc., but nonetheless, AP found reason to apologize for editing omissions.
Omissions?
What about the misleading inclusions????
Why would an allegedly reputable news service need to apologize for reporting "news?"
Why would a responsible news agency promote a false survey (such as the recent CBS poll reported by AOL) to indicate Bush's decline in popularity, etc.?
What a crock.
Someone had to decide which pieces of the video to cut and which to paste. Someone had to approve it post-editing. You don't just randomly edit items in or out without purpose any more than you randomly select "news" to feature or headlines that mislead -- or any more than randomly [accidentally?] orchestrate a slanted survey .... Do you?
Seems the person involved with the video editing was none other than a producer for the infamous CBS "discovery" of a [faked] memo about George Bush's military service. You remember that one, don't you? It was conveniently "discovered" right before the elections. Dan Rather lost his job because of that one.
Will an editor lose his/her job at AP over the "edited" video? Ohhhhh, some editor might be buried in the editing lab for a while or sent to the Food Gazette for a few months. The Associated Press, a mainstay in the Fourth Estate (the guardians of government) will probably slide by with its milk-toast apology. News outlets are too dependent upon the AP to jeopardize headlining their bias!
What is it with mainstream media's need to defame George Bush? Why do major networks and agencies risk professional reputations to defame a sitting president?
Thanks to the blogosphere, the answer becomes fairly obvious.
The press as an institution -- the Fourth Estate, the guardian of government -- is no longer "free." It is owned by private enterprises. It's manipulated by agendas.
The press (i.e., main stream media) is controlled by corporate boards and billionaires who "agenda-dize" the slant of news to project their own political, economic, global and social perspectives.
(It's like a privately-owned non-state-controlled press, if you think in terms of the intended Constitutional protection. Except the MSM has somehow distended its purpose not to simply monitor government and inform the public, but to manipulate public opinion against the government -- unless, of course, the non-state-controlled press happens to support the current government .... At which point, the non-state-controlled press freely exercises its version of free speech to either support, criticize, feature, slant, bury or inform the public of what they perceive as newsworthy -- even it means altering facts ....)
But I digress.
Ever wonder why we don't hear or read about more "good" news? (Pick a topic. Any topic.)
Justcheck the who's-who on media conglomerate boards. Cross-reference the owners/members with lists of political donors and "philanthropic" foundations which these board members support or own. Check their contributions to Political Action Committees and "store front" 157 sub-groups (exempt form political contribution regulations) that silently fund political agendas, ad campaigns, news feeds and, yes -- protests, marches and riots on the national and global front.
Go ahead. Check them out. Check the lists of political donors across party lines. You might discern that a few donors frequently "hide" political support/contributions through their wives or children or their own foundation(s). If you are aware of (even among Internet moguls) who supports which political party or candidate or cause, you'll gain some insight into why featured MSM news reports carry certain "slants" among the most "independent" carriers!
It's intentional, by the way. And it didn't just happen during the last two presidential elections.
Why is this relevant?
It's relevant because it has become so blatant, flagrant and alarmingly obsessive. It's unhealthy for everyone, including our institutions.
Our guardians of government (the Fourth Estate turned agenda-operatives) have lost it -- lost it somewhere between responsible journalism and op-ed agenda-based news.
Reporters and editors have "bought in" to promoting agenda-perspectives and have sacrificed all standards of professionalism to destroy one man and discredit a national sentiment that elected him.
Note to the MSM: it wasn't JUST conservatives who voted for GWB, by the way.
They (the MSM -- the bastions of thoughts and controllers of how-America-should-be) cannot accept that the average American has the capacity to think, assess, identify or understand their own needs, interests AND preferences.
MSM has, without question -- lost a prevailing sense of mission and integrity -- has become so fixatedon one man that they go so far as to fabricate scenarios to discredit him. Furthermore, they portend to demean those who dare to express support for any program under his administration.
What's the future of MSM?
I hope bleak.
I don't fear Big Brother; I fear Big Smother. I don't fear an elected government official; I fear a manipulative media that insolates my view of government and the world.
Need a prime-time example?
Meet the new MSM poster boy (a member of the White House Press Corps who finally stepped over the edge) -- NBC's David Gregory who tops his press-conference temper-tantrums by calling a talk radio show in a drunken giggle-fit while traveling with the President. What was he trying to say? Do? The guy needs help beyond a weekend anger-management retreat or an AA sponsor. I wonder if his days in the WH corps might be numbered ....
Of course, you won't read any of this as headlines in the MSM. They're much too focused on editing videos, orchestrating new polls or monitoring potential riots in the streets of where-ever-bush-might-go-next.
* Bush Derangement Syndrome: "The acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush."
-- Gull (http://journals.aol.com/gullspirit/PerishTheThought)
update: The AP did not "apologize" for the misleading video. The moonbats simply issued a "correction." My error, with apology for giving those slimeballs credit.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Yodeling Frenchman Returns!
Commemorating the week (1915) US President Wilson refused to prohibit immigration of illiterates, John Kerry takes advantage and returns to Washington to call for filiblustering (uh huh) Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court.
Oh, well.
credit: Rhetoricia and Perish the Thought!
[Exactly.]
Oh, well.
credit: Rhetoricia and Perish the Thought!
[Exactly.]
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
The Alito Hearings
If the conduct of Kennedy, Biden and Chuckie S, et al, does not have you shaking your head in
A) disgust,
B) bewilderment, or
3) embarrassment --
I suggest you turn off Comedy Central re-runs and take a gander at the Judicial
And if you are still debating options A), B) or C) -- try this bare facts assessment of folks who loveeeeee the sound of their own voices : http://blogs.pajamasmedia.com/mondo_alito/
Pathetic. Boring.
What a disgrace for an obviously qualified man to be subjected to these self-serving baffoons.
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