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June 21, 2008

Have No Fear, Under Dog is Here!

[Kat]

Just a thought before I run off for the weekend and catch some native American activities:

You know, for all the hyperbole about Obama being the under dog, having to fight off potential racism (right), rumors about his birth, religion, etc, the real Under Dog is John McCain.

Seriously. He isn't as articulate.

He's old.

He doesn't raise as much money.

He has the last 8 years of republican presidency to overcome, even if it wasn't any where as bad as people think it was, the propaganda machine of the left, along with Bush's total collapse in communications, pretty much has it sewn up as "the worst presidency ever".

He supports the successful conclusion of an unpopular war (or, at least, an extremely tired of war population is just wishing it was over).

Speaking of the last eight years, an incredible economy finally slows down, still under a Republican's watch, and McCain is going to be lumped with that along with the rotten luck to have all that war for oil turn out to be the most expensive, non-producing war for anything in history. Forget all that 4,000 points gained on the DOW since 2001 and the millions of jobs recovered and created. It's down turned, companies are writing down bad debt (like they always do at the end of presidential term, just in case inflation or raised interests come along; plus, they are expecting higher taxes so they are looking for the bad debt to take as a write off on their taxes next year).

McCain's campaign hasn't figured out how to do grass roots like Bush/Rove. Let's face it, McCain's demographic is older and less computer savvy.

He's taken positions that do not trend with his base.

Some of his ideas are Obama-lite. Universal Healthcare? Not so much, but more regulation, because, you know, that works so well in a free market. Global warming? Let's keep that panic going and give the Obama some gravitas on the situation by making it a political point instead of focusing on energy independence. Security? Apologize for war and tell everyone how much you hate it instead of re-stating supremacy of defense of the nation. Nothing like giving the peace mobile in the Obama camp some more gravitas. Immigration and border security? Amnesty for illegals and more of the same on the border: not much after 8 years. Did I say "Obama-lite"?

McCain is not fun or funny. Neither is Obama, actually, but all the young people think he must be because he's, well, young and he spoke at this rock concert.

Really, thinking about giving Obama the reins of state is like giving a newly graduated MBA the position of head of the Fed. But, I digress.

McCain is the Under Dog, for all the hoopla about the white, old boys club of politics. Yet, no one is going to give him the "under dog pass" that typically happens for such people in the press, while they go after the big gun. Even the press is in love with Obama. Frankly, I don't get it. However, McCain ought to take that position as the under dog and run with it.

He needs to get his positions in order and his house. One thing that he should do is lump Obama with the Democrat dominated congress with its worst approvals ever. A Democrat congress that hasn't done a d@mn thing (thank G_d) and Obama is definitely one of them with his incredible number of no shows, no votes and losing votes. McCain ought to be hitting Obama on his experience, or lack there of, left and right. Point out important legislature that McCain supported, not just the war, that Obama was a no show on. Point out, as he is doing, how much baloney Obama is spouting about his alleged experience. Point out how the general business of the government is to do the business of the people and Obama has done so little of that, it's a miracle he actually knows anything about how the government works. Besides asking for earmarks for his friends and back door deals.

Obama the new politician? Not so much. A do nothing about everything but sloughing money from the public trough is more like it. With an extra dash of rubbing elbows with the worst sorts of the political machinery down Chicago way and the oddities of the left over sixties radical sub culture.

McCain's acting like he doesn't need to campaign until the end. And is actually trying to run a "clean campaign" on principle and having experienced the not so clean version, he's determined to go down with the ship.

Maybe he's hoping Obama's campaign will run out of steam?

Let's hope it's more like, "We have not yet begun to fight!" Because, every time I see McCain, all that keeps running through my mind is, "Have no fear, Under Dog is here!"

Update: Thought. You know, McCain needs to get excited about a few things. I mean, look and sound a little more driven. Get angry! Everyone always acts like something terrible is happening when McCain "loses his temper" and the press swarm like sharks. They start comparing him to Obama and its all bad. I don't think so. It's all about what you get angry about and who you are pointing it towards. Normal people get angry, too, sometimes and if McCain's anger matches theirs, he might have some bump. .

One thing, he should lay off of the capitalists making money because he is making them suspect he's a control freak that just might "punish" them for making money. At least with Obama, they know he's going to say one thing and do another because he wants to get re-elected in four years (if he wins) and screwing the capitalists means screwing the economy. Lay off the reporters, too. Why push them into the "enemy camp". Turn them back into the semi-neutral, hide their politics organizations they were by not playing their game. Make them play the McCain game. If McCain's got one, that is.

Final, final observation. Today, they were talking about "fist bumps" and "knuckles" while standing around on break after a big meeting. Can you say "uugh!"?

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Kat on Jun 21, 2008 | TrackBack (0)

June 19, 2008

Why I will vote Republican.

John Paul Stevens 88
Ruth Bader Ginsburg 75
Antonin Scalia 72
Anthony McLeod Kennedy 71
Stephen Gerald Breyer 69
David Souter 68
Clarence Thomas 59
Samuel Alito 58
John G Roberts 53

There's a near certaintly that the next President will be appointing at least one Justice to the Supreme Court and I'm pretty sure Senator Obama will not be appointing any Constitutionalists. The Republicans are in the throes of terminal "been in power too long" disease, and the ranks of them in Congress will be thinned still more this cycle, I'm thinking. Which will perhaps get the party more focused and winnow out the ones who see the job as an entitlement, vice a privilege. We'll see.

Best a conservative can hope for, this cycle.

In that the Republicans can wander in the wilderness and see what they wish to become - relevant, or the relic of a time gone by - as Fred suggests in the comments here.

If I'm going to have to have a virtual Democrat in the White House, I would rather it be Senator McCain than Senator Obama.

I said I didn't see the Boumediene decision as the end of the world. That doesn't mean I thought it was a good decision, nor a good precedent. So, I'm thinking we don't need another Justice who thinks like Justice Kennedy on the Court

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Jun 19, 2008 | TrackBack (0)

June 17, 2008

I'm not a single-issue voter, but it shouldn't shock anyone...

...that issues of guns and gun-ownership are a *big* issue with me.

Arms Room of Argghhh!

D-uh.

Senator McCain is marginally okay on the issue. And he is *much* better than Senator Obama, whose actions belie most of his words on the subject as he realized he's going to have to get some gun-owners to vote for him.

Pretty much, in his voting history, he hasn't found an anti-gun proposal he didn't like. Some examples, with cites. Yes, I know, from the NRA. Heh. It's not like *I'm* not partisan on this issue... though for my friends who swear by GOA and JFPO, I'm a weak-willed squish on the subject... ;^ )

From the NRA-ILA:

The presidential primary season is finally over, and it is now time for gun owners to take a careful look at just where apparent nominee Barack Obama stands on issues related to the Second Amendment. During the primaries, Obama tried to hide behind vague statements of support for “sportsmen” or unfounded claims of general support for the right to keep and bear arms.

But his real record, based on votes taken, political associations, and long standing positions, shows that Barack Obama is a serious threat to Second Amendment liberties. Don’t listen to his campaign rhetoric! Look instead to what he has said and done during his entire political career.

For the rest - click the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry. There are a lot of links in there, too - so it would actually be easier if you clicked the "permalink" button. It's easier to deal with a lot of links that way.

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Jun 17, 2008

Biblical Proportions

[Kat]

So, have you heard this joke? The Prophet turns to the Messiah and says...

...$%^#! Allahpundit stole my line: Liberal John the Baptist heralds Democratic Jesus in Detroit

In other hilarious news Driver Blames Crash On 'Brain Freeze'

Frankly, I'm waiting for the announcement that he's suing Sonic for serving their drinks in non-recyclable Styrofoam cups and that they are "too cold".

by Kat on Jun 17, 2008

June 13, 2008

The Gitmo Decision.

Kat makes her points in a post down below (and has drawn in Cliff, too. Heh).

I talked with a lawyer friend of mine -

"Yeah. I'm still somewhat bemused. They're essentially saying that all those POW's we gathered up in WWII should have been treated the same way.

Unless I'm missing something.
"

This was her take:

Yep. However, since Habeas rules weren't (according to this court) suspended, and these guys/gals are on American soil (or close enough), they now get to petition for habeas. Nevertheless, the VAST majority of habeas petitions are summarily denied every year - almost on auto-pilot. So don't worry too much. And the good thing is that since they now are being "their rights," those who argue we should shut down Gitmo now have one less arrow in their quivers!!

Chief Justice John Roberts, who recused himself because of previous involvement in the case, had this to say:

So who has won? Not the detainees. The Court's analysis leaves them with only the prospect of further litigation to determine the content of their new habeas right, followed by further litigation to resolve their particular cases, followed by further litigation before the D. C. Circuit—where they could have started had they invoked the DTA procedure. Not Congress, whose attempt to "determine—through democratic means—how best" to balance the security of the American people with the detainees' liberty interests, has been unceremoniously brushed aside. Not the Great Writ, whose majesty is hardly enhanced by its extension to a jurisdictionally quirky outpost, with no tangible benefit to anyone. Not the rule of law, unless by that is meant the rule of lawyers, who will now arguably have a greater role than military and intelligence officials in shaping policy for alien enemy combatants. And certainly not the American people, who today lose a bit more control over the conduct of this Nation's foreign policy to unelected, politically unaccountable judges.

That said, there is truth in here, too, from the majority opinion [emphasis mine in the quote]:

Because our Nation’s past military conflicts have been of limited duration, it has been possible to leave the outer boundaries of war powers undefined.If, as some fear, terrorism continues to pose dangerous threats to us for years to come, the Court might not have this luxury. This result is not inevitable, however. The political branches, consistent with their independent obligations to interpret and uphold the Constitution, can engage in a genuine debate about how best to preserve constitutional values while protecting the Nation from terrorism. Cf. Hamdan, 548 U. S., at 636 (BREYER, J., concurring) ("[J]udicial insistence upon that consultation does not weaken our Nation’s ability to deal with danger. To the contrary, that insistence strengthens the Nation’s ability to determine— through democratic means—how best to do so").

It bears repeating that our opinion does not address the content of the law that governs petitioners’ detention. That is a matter yet to be determined. We hold that petitioners may invoke the fundamental procedural protections of habeas corpus. The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times. Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system they are reconciled within the framework of the law. The Framers decided that habeas corpus, a right of first importance, must be a part of that framework, a part of that law.

This outcome isn't really surprising to me. Nor is it unprecedented - the Court has not been friendly to the idea of suspending habeas in the past, in the cases of the Civil War and World War II. The "Great Writ" as it's called, is really an important foundation of our legal system. A lack thereof is precisely, for example, what allowed the National Socialist German Workers Party to set up detention camps in Germany in the 30's, and create a whole extra-legal system of detention, and, eventually, murder. No, certainly not a likely outcome here. But I'm feeling like if we're going to fight tooth and nail against any restriction on the government's ability to regulate firearms, we need to pay as much attention to the government's ability to regulate our persons. Habeas is a control on government power. One of the concerns civil libertarians on both sides of the political spectrum share about aspects of the Patriot Act and other actions on the part of government is... the apparent ability of the government to take the average citizen, a lifelong resident of the nation, with birthright citizenship, and classify them as unlawful combatants. We don't mind so much when it's some foreign fighter, because we trust the government to not behave that way to the citizenry.

But should we? Feel that safe?

Heed well the history of the Palmer Raids, conducted under the rule of Woodrow Wilson. David Kennedy in his book Over Here: The First World War and American Society (New York: Oxford University Press, 1980), quotes Wilson on page 24:

Hyphenated Americans (who) have poured the poison of disloyalty into the very arteries of our national life. Such creatures of passion, disloyalty and anarchy must be crushed out
.

Right now, the Left conveniently forgets the behavior of their forbears, and paints activity like the Palmer Raids as a phenomenon of the Right - however... In June of 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act. The law made illegal acts of interference in foreign policy and the conduct of espionage. This law instituted fines and prison terms of up to 20 years for anyone who obstructed the draft or encouraged "disloyalty" against the U.S. government. This is a disease of power, not of party. This is a bludgeon that can be used by any who pick it up.

So, I'm nowhere near as upset by this ruling as many of my fellow-travelers are. The Court has thrown it back to the Congress and the President - and by extension - us. Just makes the elections more important, eh? Especially if we can keep the politicians focused on this sort of external thing, they'll have less time to fiddle with our lives, thank you very much.

You may commence firing.

Update: The Editors of National Review are not pleased, predictably, given the editorializing that has gone on there ere now. They give strong note to Chief Justice Robert's dissent (provided above). Sift through it all, however, and I don't think we're that far apart - and the part they attack, which is, I freely admit, the weakest part of my response - is that while they've thrown it back to Congress and the Executive, it is these same people (the Court) who will sit in judgement of what results.

Which is why, for both sides... the upcoming election is important. And why sitting it out, taking your blocks and not playing this year, because your guy or gal didn't make it, is going to be some potentially really tough love, as you cut off your nose with a chainsaw to spite your face. Just a thought.

And I hear Senator McCain is not pleased with it, either. I should note I'm not *pleased* by it. I'm just not motivated to think that the world just ended.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Jun 13, 2008

June 10, 2008

Where's Obama?

[Kat]

Photobucket

Everyone is asking why Obama hasn't gone back to Iraq since 2006. An equal question might be when was the last time, if ever, Obama's been to Afghanistan? A quick search on the subject only brings up Obama's comments and his one big gaffe trying to equate the loss or lack of Arabic speakers to our problems in Afghanistan. Guess he didn't know they speak Dari, Pashto and Urdu, amongst other languages, over there, but no Arabic. Except the foreign fighters from AQ.

Anyhoo, no Obama, but Mrs. Bush flew over, visited in Kabul and then took a 50 mile helicopter ride to Bamiyan Province to meet the first female governor of Afghanistan. It isn't just a 50 mile helicopter ride; it's 50 miles, in a helicopter, in territory known for RPG shoot downs.

I always knew librarians had steel.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Kat on Jun 10, 2008

June 9, 2008

AmericaBlog... missing the point.

Why is John McCain getting $58,000 a year in disability income?

The same reason I'm getting $15,120 a year.

He earned it.

He earned it through his military service, and the amount of it was determined by an agency of the federal government you don't find in the Yellow Pages under "Get Free Stuff The Easy Way!" And it was awarded based on rules established by Congress, as implemented by the executive branch, all of whom, last I checked, were duly elected representatives of the people.

Let's get to the heart of the matter - the only reason this is being brought up is because Mr. Aravosis is annoyed that Senator McCain won't vote for the new GI Bill, because it's "too generous"

First off, I find it fascinating that John McCain, who is refusing to vote for the GI Bill for our troops because "it's too generous," is himself getting $58,000 a year, tax-free, from the US government for his military service. Had McCain been getting that amount every year since Vietnam, that would total $2,000,000 for the man who isn't into overgenerous government. I just find that interesting.

Nice way to use the math, badly, in order to maximize the dollar amount, given that it's a less-than-COLA indexed benefit. Additionally, since Senator McCain is a military retiree, he's spent most of that time funding a good chunk of his disability payment out of his retirement check, meaning it was mostly a tax break, vice income.

I'm just not sure that the McCains, who own "eight or nine houses," should be getting $58k a year tax-free from the government for a "technical" disability when others who don't have families worth a gazillion dollars could use that support a lot more. The median household income in the US in 2006 was $48,201. I know vets who have done well for themselves in the workplace and, as a result, refuse to take any federal medical benefits. They feel it would simply be wrong to take what amounts to federal welfare when they're rich.

Heh. No doubt Senator McCain's retirement pay should be means-tested, too.

I'm curious - Mr. Aravosis says the "rich" vets he knows are forgoing "federal medical benefits" - does that include any disability pension they may be due?

The reason I ask - I'm a "technically" disabled vet, too - rated at 70%. Which puts me in the VA Priority Group 1, meaning space-required health care coverage for all of my ills and ailments, not just the ones rated service-connected.

I, too, don't use that health care. For many reasons. One, the coverage I have elsewhere is simply... better. The coverage offered via the VA would be for me alone, and doesn't cover my family - so I'm going to be spending the money on insurance anyway.

And, by not using my priority one status (except once, out in Las Vegas, when I had food poisoning and the VA facility was closest) I leave a space open for those sad, tired vets sitting in the waiting room hoping for Space Available treatment.

My point being that it may not be as noble a sentiment there as he implies, and I am curious if he is perhaps conflating the pension benefit with medical - because on a "technical parsing" of his english - he is (for that whole snark on "technical" to make sense, you need to read his full post - and, as always, you should, rather than just my cherry-picks).

I'd be more impressed with the overall argument if he was arguing for revamping the VA rating and compensation system to bring it into, oh, the late 20th Century Service/Information economy vice the 1930's-1950's Agricultural/Industrial economy paradigm that it currently labors under. I personally despair of the system being able to be brought into the 21st Century.

Or if he argued that means-testing the pension benefit would free up dollars for use elsewhere in the system. Not that I'm going to trust any Congress or any Administration on that issue, seeing as how Democrats and Republicans kept me funding my own disability payment for a decade, until a Republican Congress forced a Republican President to repeal (over nearly a decade, mind you) that offset. Hmmm. Wonder how Senator McCain voted on that. I would guess since he would personally benefit, Mr. Aravosis would argue he should not have voted. No, frankly, I'm *not* going to take the time to go look it up, either.

And no, even though I make a comfortable living, in fact, by some Democrat politico metrics, I'm officially "rich" (heh) I'm going to continue to accept the deposits made in my bank account every month. One reason we've had "Castle Work Days" where our friends come by and help out, and we have a barter arrangement for heavy labor around the Castle, and where I paid people to come in and build some interior walls I know how to build isn't because I like fleecing my friends and supporting my local contractors - it's because I can't swing a hammer over my head. It's because I can't set 50 fence posts. It's because I need to have people come by and do stuff, were it not for my service-connected health issues, I could (and would rather, though having people come by is nice) do myself.

But then, Mr. Aravosis' use of the most recent payment figure for a less-than-COLA-adjusted benefit that was worth less in dollars when originally awarded (though given inflation over time, arguably more in adjusted dollars in the early days than it is now) and completely ignoring the fact (or are ignorant of) that Senator McCain was funding a good chunk of that payment out of his retirement pay (see discussion of the offset above)... I'm thinking this is more about damaging candidate McCain than it is a serious discussion of the issue.

And since Mr. Aravosis brought up Senator Kerry and such - if we're ever going to stop that sort of thing, does this mean that Republicans must stand silent on any similar issue this time around, while the Democrat side whales away, then, will karma be balanced and we can start afresh?

Heh.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Jun 09, 2008

Obsessions: a further rebuttal

I do not understand the obsession; the obsession about the dead, future dead, and the “evil.” Really, I don’t. On the one hand you have melodrama about the dead, but then you have it pointed out that the dead from other acts don’t seem to count as much. Apparently one dead body is an orange and another is an apple. Being ‘evil’ means you’re #1 on the Hit List, even though certain actions that make one ‘evil’ can be seen entirely as the rational, but cruel and horrific, acts of a nation state. Acts very much like one’s the US has taken during the Cold War as issues of policy, including things like proxy war (Contras come to mind, as do the Maquis and Afghani resistance fighters). But, most important, is the lack of one specific thing. What is it that one wants with respect to Iran? What’s your goal? What’s the purpose beyond mere denial of one of their policy to attain nuclear arms? How is it that this obsession with death caused by Iran overrides some very important factors in decision making?
(More below the fold. No, really, there's a lot below the fold.)

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Ryan on Jun 09, 2008

The Rising Tides 3 - The Obaminator v Captain America

[Kat]

This election season is going to get really interesting as each candidate of the two parties tries to show they have the right answer for defending the United States. Obama wants to talk them to death and McCain is practically claiming he's the father of the surge. Between the two of them, the Obaminator and Captain America are set to single handedly save the world.

My question to both of them is where is the praise, the recognition of the magnificent performance of our troops and the incredible strategic competence of Petraeus et al.

All the while, here in Kansas City, the river is rising, the rain is pouring and still, no sign of The Obama to stop the rising tides.

UPDATE: Severe Weather Kills 8, Waters Rising in Indiana

Where's the Obama Messiah when you need him?

Fred Kagan - Vote for Commander in Chief

Obama - Al Qaeda or No Al Qaeda?

Rising Tides 1 - Obama Stills the Rising Oceans, But Can He Stop the Rising River?
Rising Tides 2 - The Powerful Luminescence of Obama

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Kat on Jun 09, 2008

June 7, 2008

The Rising Tide 2 - The Powerful Luminescence of Obama

[Kat]

I caught this article by Mark Morford of the San Francisco Gate from Hotair.com or Instapundit. Take your pick, they both had it. He claims that Obama has a "powerful luminescence", an "aura" that all the haters out there just don't get. It inspired a second round of "Rising Tides".

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Kat on Jun 07, 2008

June 6, 2008

My take on the USAF "Revolt"

[Armorer's note: Dusty posted this late yesterday, after the bulk of our traffic had passed - so I moved it so the people who come by early will get a chance to see it.]

I'm a little busy right now (got annual sim training and checkride tomorrow and Saturday) but in the FWIW department, sounds like the Top Two just pegged Bob Gates' fun meter. Such is life.

I don't know anything about Wynne but I met Moseley briefly when John Jumper was prepping him at Langley before his assumption of command at 9AF/CENTAF. He's a shrewd and flexible air warrior and air campaign strategist (and his technical expertise is superb) but in the last few years things just haven't been going very well.

From Goldy Goldfien's tripping himself up over the T-Birds to the unscheduled nuke tour, all kinds of "stuff" did precisely what the Wired article said it did, i.e., provided "bureaucratic cover" for Gates' move. This is a backhanded slap at Gates in my opinion. Who needs "cover" anyway? Only a wuss does, and I can't say Gates is one, one way or 'tuther. I doubt it.

The tussle over UAVs has been going on for awhile. Ironically, Jumper was a solid champion of Predator, aggressively incorporating it into day-to-day USAF battle planning and employment in support of the overall combat effort, to say nothing of his near-single-handed internal bureaucratic crusade for its being armed with Hellfires. It's the overall force management joint windmill that the USAF tilted against, much to Gen. Moseley's misfortune. There is an advantage to central management for procurement/development/sustainment economies of scale but it sounds like the Air Force a) didn't make that case very well; or b) got locked into a turning fight with people more influential on who should be in charge and why; or c) dragged its feet on supporting the mission; or d) buffooned the argument for more operator support, or e) a combination of the above.

I hope the reports about Gates saying the "F-22 has no role in the war on terror" was a gross example of taking a quote out of context. (I think/(hope!) it was.)

That is correct, of course, but begs the question, "And, therefore, what...?" This is also true for nuclear sub SLBM platforms, all our nukes, all our heavy combat ground units, all our carrier battle groups, and just about everything associated with responding to a strategic threat from a peer or near-peer competitor, whether it be a direct one or one against our allies...and if you really want to include all their possible uses, against an asymmetrical threat as well.

However, comma, if Gates felt that these guys were not getting with the overall DoD program, if he felt he was spending more time putting out fires that from his vantage point these guys were unnecessarily starting inside and outside the Five-Sided Puzzle Palace, then, well, this makes sense.

They may be wrong or Gates may be wrong. in such cases, the SecDef wins. Game. Set. Match.

Finally, if I were Buzz Moseley, I would sure as hell walk out the door with head held high. From what I know of him, he's a good man, a fierce fighter and can fly the shite out of an airplane. I'm sure there are people in the Air Force who would disagree and are glad to see him go--this is a byproduct of that thing called "command," something that precludes you from being universally loved. He has done more good for his country than most, and that includes many senior elected officials--I'm talkin' to YOU Murtha!

P.S. I could go on about this, but like I said I'm a little busy. I did however enjoy the suggestion in the Wired article comments--"They should take the opportunity and as quietly as possible, fold the AF back into the Army." Now THERE'S some forward thinking! (Original, too. Heh.)

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Dusty on Jun 06, 2008

We Interrupt This Program For An Emergency Weather Report - The Rising Tides Obama '08

[Kat]

Due to inclement weather, our regularly scheduled program "Pvt Benson Goes to War" will be rebroadcast on Monday, June 9th. Fortunately, the battery in the camera was still charged so I'm able to bring you this up to the minute weather report.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Kat on Jun 06, 2008

June 2, 2008

Garrison Keillor... clueless in Lake Woebegon.

[Armorer's note - this post is even more ironic in light of the post above it.]

So, Mr. Keillor was inconvenienced in DC this Memorial Day by an annual protest ride by some bikers, who were interested in the POW/MIA issue... One wonders if he would have felt as inconvenienced had it been the "Million Man March" the "Million Mom March" or something like the protest SWWBO and I attended in DC last year... One suspects rather he would have been waxing rhapsodic.

The roar of hollow patriotism Garrison Keillor E-mail: oldscout@prairiehome.us

Three hundred thousand bikers spent Memorial Day weekend roaring around Washington in tribute to our war dead, and I stood on Constitution Avenue Sunday afternoon watching a river of them go by, waiting for a gap in the procession so I could cross over to the Mall and look at pictures. The street had been closed off for them and they motored on by, some flying the Stars and Stripes and the black MIA-POW flag, honking, revving their engines, an endless celebration of internal combustion.

A patriotic bike rally is sort of like a patriotic toilet-papering or patriotic graffiti--the patriotism somehow gets lost in the sheer irritation of the thing. Somehow a person associates Memorial Day with long moments of silence when you summon up mental images of men huddled together on amphibious assault vehicles and pilots revving up B-24s and infantrymen crouched behind piles of rubble steeling themselves for the next push.

...or pilots turning in on a target in al-Anbar, or infantrymen steeling themselves to clear that building in Fallujah. Or perhaps clearing the Palace in Hue, or clawing their way up the mud of Hamburger Hill, or holding the perimeter at Pusan, or hoofing it back from the Chosin Reservoir with his buddy on his back. Storming ashore on Koh-tang Island to free the crew of the Mayaguez. Not to mention 'forting up' in Mogadishu waiting for the relief force. But no, it would appear for Mr. Keillor, military history ended in 1945. Of course, unlike, I believe, Mr. Keillor, I know some people laying under the turf at Arlington with graves dated in *this* century.

You don't quite see the connection between that and these fat men with ponytails on Harleys. After hearing a few thousand bikes go by, you think maybe we could airlift these gentlemen to Baghdad to show their support of the troops in a more tangible way...

Heh. Shows what you know, Mr. Keillor. Perhaps (and very likely) many if not most of these men on those bikes strolled the dikes in Vietnam, patrolled in Bosnia and Kosovo, walked the streets in Somalia, and not a few may well have wandered streets and valleys in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some may have trod the brown, treeless hills of Korea. And not a few may well wear bracelets with names of people they knew personally. I love the assumption that they're mostly chickenhawks.

...It took 20 minutes until a gap appeared and then a mob of us pedestrians flooded across the street and the parade of bikes had to stop for us, and on we went to show our patriotism by looking at exhibits at the Smithsonian or, in my case, hiking around the National Gallery, which, after you've watched a few thousand Harleys pass, seems like an outpost of civilization.

There stood Renoir's ballerina in pale blue chiffon and Monet's children in the garden of sunflowers. And Mary Cassatt's "The Boating Party," which I stood and stared at for a long time. A lady in a white bonnet sits in a green sailboat, holding a contented baby in pink, as a man rows the boat toward a distant shore. (Perhaps the boat is becalmed.) The man wears a navy blue shirt, he is preoccupied with his rowing, and the lady looks wan and mildly anxious, as well a mother should be. The baby is looking dreamily over the gunwales. Is the man a hired hand or is he the husband and father?

A work of art can lift you up from the mishmash of life, the weight of the unintelligible world, and the situations where vulgarity squats on you like an enormous toad and won't get off. You stroll down past the World War II Memorial, which looks like something ordered out of a catalog, a bland insult to the memory of all who served, and thousands of motorcycles roar by disturbing the Sabbath, and it depresses you for hours.

Sorry, the WWII memorial doesn't affect me that way. My grump with it is that it took so long to get done. So now your Sabbath has been marred by motorcycles? You poor man. How much churchly stuff did you partake of that day? Did you attend a Memorial Day event that was to your liking? Since you don't say, we don't know, but I have my suspicions, at least regarding Memorial Day events.



If anyone cared about the war dead, they could go read David Halberstam's "The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War" or Stephen Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944 to May 7, 1945," or any of a hundred other books, and they would get a vision of what it was like to face death for your country, but the bikers riding in formation are more interested in being seen than in learning anything. They are grown men playing soldier, making a great hullabaloo without exposing themselves to danger, other than getting drunk and falling off a bike.

What breathtaking arrogance. From personal knowledge, several of the people on that ride *lived* the books you so blithely drop in here. Those books are on my bookshelf, too, Mr. Keillor. With dog ears and other evidence of having been read. It's good to know you've read them too. Of course we could add... House to House, by David Bellavia, or No True Glory and The March Up, by Bing West, or One Bullet Away by Nate Fick, and My War by Colby Buzzell, or perhaps my fellow Scorpion and compadre Marty Stanton's Somalia on $5.00 a Day and Road to Baghdad: Behind Enemy Lines: The Adventures of an American Soldier in the Gulf War or Blackhawk Down by Mark Bowden. Heck, what about The Four Days of Mayaguez by Roy Rowan.... but I'm betting those aren't on your bookshelves, because those are somehow inauthentic and unworthy experiences or something. But, perhaps I'm just projecting, as you do. But again, you can't get past that chickenhawk meme. Those bikers are fellows who can read books, and many have probably read those and more... *and* they choose to do something active to keep the POW/MIA issue alive. So that the Missing are not forgotten. Strikes me, sir, that is an entirely active and appropriate way to mark the day we Remember - by not allowing some to be forgotten. Just as your staring at art and contemplating it in relative peace is... well, you know, something you can do apropos of a cliche I won't bore you with.

Update: In the comments, Bill says it better:

"Keillor's world view obviously doesn't permit the existence of living veterans -- in it, our deeds and lives are limited to the dimensions of books, so he may safely close the pages and escape us as soon as reading about that which we did (and still do) becomes

*sigh*

wearisome."

Wearisome, indeed.



No wonder the Current Occupant welcomed them with open arms at the White House, put on a black leather vest, and gave a manly speech about how he'd just "choppered in" and saw the horde "cranking up their machines," and he thanked them for being so patriotic. They are his kind of guys, full of bluster, giving off noxious fumes, and when they leave town, nobody misses them.

Heh. So he talks to them in their vernacular, and that's too vulgar for you. Guess what, I'm thinking people aren't missing the Million Men and Million Moms that much, either. [deleted Rule-breaking personal attack formerly located here. See? I make myself delete my own rule infractions. Mebbe not always... ]

Meanwhile, the man pulls at the oars, the lady wonders if this trip was a good idea or if some disaster is at hand, and the child lolls on her lap, dazed by the sun. They started this trip in 1894 and haven't advanced an inch, meanwhile half the people who ever stood and watched them have reached that distant shore and the rest of us are getting closer every day.

I am the boatman and maybe you are too--it is quiet on the water, we lean on the oars, and we are suspended in time, united with every other man, woman and child who ever voyaged afar.

Heh. You did a better job of reading the minds of dollops of paint than you did ponytailed men on bikes. And told us more about yourself than anything else.

Last word on the subject from a long time reader of this space:

Andrew L Mills... on the Wall.



Not all fat guys rode Harleys.......and some no longer have enough hair left for a pony tail.

Mr. Keillor just wouldn't understand that though.

Heh. They weren't even all 'Muricans. Or riding bikes.

RFTW%202003%20010.jpg


For a stronger view of Mr. Keillor's musings, see Jim Linesberry below, in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Jun 02, 2008

May 28, 2008

A rational response.

We live in an oil patch. We are literally surrounded by wells. This is in northeastern Kansas, not someplace most people think of when they think of oil patch.

Gnoshing contentedly at Castle Argghhh!

So, oil is up to $130 a barrel. Most of that price hike is caused by supply concerns. Not that there isn't plenty of oil in untapped reserves (leave aside the varying predictions of when the supply will be exhausted or the claims of the guy who says it might be almost inexhaustable...) but therein lies the rub.

Untapped.

Not because we don't want to, but because we can't.

Not because we don't have the tech, but because we won't let ourselves.

Because, well, Greenies and the Congress (both parties, over time) don't want us to. For varying motives.

Well, you see high gas prices. My neighbor sees... opportunity. And he's loyally trying to do what he can to help you all out.

He's drilling wells on his property. That would be the property that abuts ours.

He's got two in, two dry holes, and one drilling. Mind you, there've been no 'gushers' - no oil has yet shown up as an oily sheen in the creek that runs between us and then across my pasture and along the cliff, before heading off to Stranger Creek, the Kaw, and then the Missouri.

From the size of his horseheads, I'm guessing three barrels a day. Two wells is 6 barrels, assume (really dangerous in the volatile market) an *average* wellhead price of $100 for the year (also a swag at accounting for production and storage costs) - he'll gross $219K for a year.

Not bad for doing nothing more than just paying the electricity bill for the two horseheads bobbing up and down, up and down.

A rational response.  Drill.

Just look at that despoiled and distressed landscape. Horsehead on the left (not yet in place on the well) and that blue thing on the right... is the drill rig, just despoiling the view. Not.

It *is* noisy, however.

I own the mineral rights. I'm waiting for $200 a barrel. Alternatively, I could invade.

Wait. That didn't work out so well for Saddam. Well, except for the whole "Oil for Food" scam he ran with the UN. Hmmmmmm.

And before we waste bandwidth on it - yes, I know arctic tundra and permafrost areas are far more sensitive than flyover country occupied by bitter, clingy people who probably deserve what happens to them as despoilers of the land. Heh. I appreciate my land a lot more than any city dwelling enviro who visits unpaved dirt on weekends and two weeks a year, I assure you.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on May 28, 2008

Catching wild pigs.

This is for Wolfwalker, et.al., who see the demise of the Republic just over the horizon.

Catching Wild Pigs A chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government. In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?' The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc.. While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.

One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut! In this 'very important' election year, listen closely to what the candidates are promising you. Just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America.

'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.' - Thomas Jefferson

H/t, JimC.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on May 28, 2008

May 22, 2008

Heh. Read the Farm Bill?

Oh, wait - if you got the version the President got (and vetoed) then you haven't read the whole thing.

Having become a Gentleman Farmer (who am I kidding, SWWBO is the Gentlelady Farmer), living out among farmers and ranchers, and working with a few others who have some acres and agribusiness interests, I have been paying some attention to the Farm Bill. I'm bemused to find that if I *don't* do some things, the Farm of Argghhh! could pull in several thousand dollars per annum, for *not* doing things. Of course, that makes the Federal Government a lessee of my land, and gives them far more control over what I can and can't do than I am interested in allowing.

Mind you - they may have put a provision in there to make it worth my while to *do* something, because I might just be able to make more money for doing something, almost irrespective of the market, than I can for *not* doing something, other than owning land zoned agricultural. Hey, unlike most of the big winners in the Farm Bill, I at least *live* on my land, and not in Manhattan and Los Angeles, Dallas or Houston.

Heh. I've been talking with the farmers I know, and several of them, mostly ranchers, admittedly, though a few are crop-growers, and they were looking at the bill skeptically.

Heh. Not any more. But if you really care - click the Flash Traffic/Extended entry for the rest.

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

by John on May 22, 2008

May 21, 2008

Heh. Dems. McCain. Military Service, suitability of.

So, lessee if I understand the Dem bible on Experience, Military, Utility of. (For a completely different dissection of this topic from a different angle, see Cassandra of Villainous Company)

Scenario 1: If combat-experienced Republicans are running against a draft-avoider (who is so estranged from things military he doesn't even know how to salute properly) for the highest office in the land, then... military experience is irrelevant (admittedly, knowing how to salute is also irrelevant, just useful if you're going to be patronizing to the people who provide your side-boy details). This was the meme for President Bush the Elder and Senator Bob Dole when they were running against President Clinton.

Scenario 2: If a National Guard fighter pilot is running against a Vietnam veteran who served less than 6 months in-country as a low-ranking military journalist... then being in Vietnam as a low ranking journalist trumps flying fighters (in a unit which never deployed because it was tasked with the air defense of the continental US) because being a junior troop with no real combat experience, but time in-country, clearly trumps flying fighters as a qualification for directing the military strategy of the United States. This would be the meme for President Bush the Younger versus Senator Al Gore.

Scenario 3: When you find yourself with a genuine combat-experienced candidate with Purple Hearts and a Silver Star (even if he did heave 'em (well someone else's, actually) over the fence to return them to the war mongers in the Pentagon) who served in-country, shot and got shot at, all as a very junior officer, and then fled for an Admiral's staff when he got the chance, then flying fighters on the Gulf Coast is not only puerile, it is actually virtual cowardice and grounds for the epithet "chickenhawk" when that Republican has ordered troops into harm's way. This would be the meme for Senator Kerry running against President Bush the Younger.

Now comes Scenario #4: Combat-experienced Naval Aviator and Prisoner-of-War and retired naval officer Senator John McCain against zero-military-experience (and not much legislative experience, and zero executive experience) Senator Barack Obama (treated here as the nominee-presumptive, which may not happen, admittedly - though it's the most likely outcome at the time of this writing).

But wait! There's more! Senator McCain is the son and grandson of Admirals. And, unlike *any* candidate of recent memory, his children are not only of the right age to serve... one is actually *serving* and has served, actively, in the on-going war, and another is on the verge of entering the arena. So now what's the meme - when the war is the second-most important topic before the electorate (the economy appears as number one) - well, now, let's try a whole new tack.

Senator McCain has too *much* experience, and it is also of the wrong type - i.e., being locked up and tortured in the Hanoi Hilton saved Senator McCain from properly experiencing the trauma of fighting in jungles against enemies unseen.

And if you aren't falling asleep yet - click the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry to catch the rest of this rant.

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on May 21, 2008

May 16, 2008

Peggy Noonan today.

From the WSJ:

The Bush White House, faced with the series of losses from 2005 through '08, has long claimed the problem is Republicans on the Hill and running for office. They have scandals, bad personalities, don't stand for anything. That's why Republicans are losing: because they're losers.

All true enough!

But this week a House Republican said publicly what many say privately, that there is another truth. "Members and pundits . . . fail to understand the deep seated antipathy toward the president, the war, gas prices, the economy, foreclosures," said Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia in a 20-page memo to House GOP leaders.

The party, Mr. Davis told me, is "an airplane flying right into a mountain." Analyses of its predicament reflect an "investment in the Bush presidency," but "the public has just moved so far past that." "Our leaders go up to the second floor of the White House and they get a case of White House-itis." Mr. Bush has left the party at a disadvantage in terms of communications: "He can't articulate. The only asset we have now is the big microphone, and he swallowed it." The party, said Mr. Davis, must admit its predicament, act independently of the White House, and force Democrats to define themselves. "They should have some ownership for what's going on. They control the budget. They pay no price. . . . Obama has all happy talk, but it's from 30,000 feet. Energy, immigration, what is he gonna do?"

Mr. Bush has squandered the hard-built paternity of 40 years. But so has the party, and so have its leaders. If they had pushed away for serious reasons, they could have separated the party's fortunes from the president's. This would have left a painfully broken party, but they wouldn't be left with a ruined "brand," as they all say, speaking the language of marketing. And they speak that language because they are marketers, not thinkers. Not serious about policy. Not serious about ideas. And not serious about leadership, only followership.

Heh. The President didn't squander the "hard-built paternity" of the last 40 years. The party just got complacent and lost their compass. They fell in love with the job, and failed to understand - it isn't *supposed* to be a job. It's a privilege, not an entitlement. Just as the Dems did when they got booted in the 90's. Just like Jim Ryun did when he got booted in 2006.

"We can't let them take our issues" (not quoting Peggy, just the person she's quoting) - well, *if* they'll vote the way we want on those issues, as Nancy Boyda has on many, but certainly not all, of mine - then, what's so bad about that? I thought getting the *issue* dealt with was the goal.

Silly me.

The Republicans have earned what they're about to receive.

But the reality is - it's about the judges. That's where the battles are lost and won, mostly, anymore - since the Congress has floundered from the intent of the Founders, meekly surrendering their authority to the Executive and the Judicial branches, in exchange for electoral butt-coverage to keep jobs that were never intended to be a living, and We, the People, let them get away with it... and the Progressives, seeing that they can't convince the great unwashed on the issues, but *can* seduce the Judiciary to advance their agenda... Mind you, I don't mind it when the Judges protect the rights of the minority from the tyranny of the majority - but I wish they'd be a lot less prescriptive at times, and just send the issues back to the legislatures for the answer - as I believe the Founders intended.

So, clothes-pin on my nose or not, especially since I think the Republicans are in serious danger of getting attrited in the Senate to the point of not being able to filibuster, it looks like the only place I can work to keep government checked is by voting for McCain.

Heh. The only thing more dangerous to liberty and prosperity than a veto/filibuster-proof Congress controlled by Republicans with a Republican President... is the Democrat-controlled equivalent.

But wait! When *Our Side* (whatever your side is) has total control, then we'll build Paradise!

No. Not true. What would happen is you would all be on the Bullet Train to Abilene.

And that is a recipe for disaster.

Governance, given it's power, should be hard, hard, work in infertile fields.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on May 16, 2008

Obama: I Have A Question...

[Kat]

Who is Obama running against? John McCain or President Bush.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Kat on May 16, 2008

May 8, 2008

Heh. Keep this in mind as you watch the political ads this silly season.

See how many of them (from both sides) follow this recipe:

1. Simplify: Reduce all to a confrontation between Good and Evil.

2. Smear the opposition.

3. Manipulate the central values of the target audience to one's own purpose.

4. Use star performers to present one's views as the right thinking.

5. Repeat - endlessly repeat - the same message in different variations.

Mind you, as Don Marquis noted, "An idea isn't responsible for the people who believe in it." but it's instructive nonetheless. So, go off snipe-hunting and figure out who gets credit for that recipe.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on May 08, 2008

April 30, 2008

The Current Dem attack ad on McCain.

Running here and there, and on the Democratic Party website, as a fundraiser. Typical soundbite sniping, as practiced by both parties.

Expose the Real McCain

John McCain wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years, but his lobbyist-ran campaign has and will continue to viciously attack anyone who remind the American people.

We know it -- we have it on tape to prove it -- and with your help, the American people will know it as well with our latest ad on John McCain and Iraq.

Spread the word and contribute today:

Heh. The Democrats don't pander to lobbyists, nope. Snerk. Of course, my guys aren't lobbyists, your's are! Mine are just, um, well-intentioned people with agendas who funnel me information and, um, money. On to the ad:

Narrator: "President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years!" with text saying the same thing.

Video of Senator McCain: "Maybe a hundred."

Text in the ad: 100 years.

Video of McCain: "That'd be fine with me."

Immediately cut to carefully edited footage of two US soldiers ducking when an IED goes off right next to them (no bodies or gore).

Then snippets of video of lots of screaming people at bombing aftermaths with text that says:

"5 Years"

"500 Billion Spent"

"Over 4,000 dead"

In case you'd not quite gotten the point, the narrator says:

"President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years!" with text saying the same thing.

Cut back to Senator McCain: "Maybe a hundred."

Narrator: "If all he offers is more of the same, is John McCain the right choice for America's future? The Democratic National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.


Heh. The ad is mostly red meat for the already decided, to make them feel good about making sure they get to their max limits on giving. It's not really aimed at thinking people who are undecided. Unthinking people... well, hey, if they'll send checks!

Well, gosh, let's have some more of that... Lessee...

How about an ad that ran (using 2002 adjusted dollars (except for Gulf War II) and US casualty figures, both sourced from DoD):

WWI... Led into war by Democrat Woodrow Wilson

"6 years"

"564 Billion spent"

"Over 116,000 dead"

Um, but that led to...

WWII... led into war by Democrat Franklin Roosevelt

"67 years... and counting."

"4.6 Trillion spent."

"Over 405,000 dead"

Korea... led into war by Democrat Harry S. Truman

"58 years... and counting."

"391 Billion spent"

"Over 36,000 dead."

Vietnam war... led into war by Democrat John F. Kennedy.

"9 years, and we walked away from an ally."

"840 Billion spent."

"Over 58,000 dead."

Gulf War I... led into war by Republican George H. W. Bush

"12 years"

"9 Billion spent (after Allied reimbursements)"

"Over 300 dead."

Gulf War II... Led into war by Republican George W. Bush

"5 Years"

"500 Billion Spent"

"Over 4,000 dead"

Narrator:
"Democrats: 73 years. 6.4 Trillion Dollars spent. 615,000 dead."
"Republicans: 17 years. 509 Billion Dollars spent. 4,300 dead"

"Based on this performance, are Democrats the right choice for America?"

The Armorer of Argghhh! is responsible for the content of the political ad parody. ©April 2008 by Castle Argghhh LLC.

Of course there's a whole host of false parallelism in there. And who knows how those cost numbers were calculated. And a complete absence of context. But we never let that get in the way of politics, now do we?

The Republican Party may purchase the rights to this idea... for enough money for me to buy out the guy next door. But I bet they just steal it. H/t to Princess Crabby for bringing the subject up.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 30, 2008

April 28, 2008

Jeremiah Wright

Much of his radical theology disgusts me, and I have a very strong intellectual disagreement with it. However, growing up a pastor's kid in a religion well-represented among both white and black communities (and more integrated than most), I understand a bit about where he's coming from--politics tends to be more overtly a part of black churches and theology than white, and there is more confidence in calling a spade a spade in the black religious tradition (church being a refuge from white control and interference going back to even the slavery days). But Jeremiah Wright is far beyond the tradition of black churches railing against injustice and pulling together to address or mitigate that injustice as much as possible.

While listening to the extended excerpts Hugh Hewitt played last week, I sat with my mouth hanging open. Literally. I had tried so hard to "understand," to consider that maybe Wright tended to get carried away to hyperbole with his emotionalism, that perhaps he spoke more metaphorically as is often the case in black churches. But there it was, staring me in the face.

I had two reactions after I was done: 1) I now "get" the Obamas. Michelle's speeches, her tone, her body language... the awkwardness of having said she'd never been proud of her country until her husband ran for president... I had never been able to form a coherent vision of her. Listening to Wright's sermons was like a final piece of the puzzle that made the picture pull into focus. And even moreso, I understood the cult of personality that Barak cultivated in his campaign. Whether she and Barak Obama believed as Wright does when they joined the church, twenty years of hearing things like I did as I listened cannot help but shape a person's intellect and attitude. 2) I need a shower; I felt like I'd had the worst kind of sludge poured over me for the last hour.

Mere transcripts do not do justice to the mood of Wright's diatribes against this country and people who don't look like him or believe like him. I was stunned and appalled. So much rage, so much carefully-considered and clearly-laid-out venom for the country he once served as a Marine and which has enabled him to retire in wealth to a gated community. Those short excerpts we heard were not moments of overwhelming emotion or ill-considered metaphors/similes/parallels. They were snippets in carefully-constructed and consciously-delivered sermons of rage, hatred, uber-left-wing politics, and a desire for the destruction of this country and anybody who didn't agree with him.

In response, I at first felt anger. But that quickly gave way to pity, and finally a sense of filthiness for continuing to listen... much as one feels if looking too closely at the car wreck as one drives by. It is appalling, and even moreso when you subsequently listen to the mild-mannered and "oh-so-reasonable" man Bill Moyers interviewed last week. I was forcibly reminded of the wolf in sheep's clothing, but I don't think I've ever seen the two sides so starkly drawn as they are in Reverend Wright.

Over at Powerline, John Hinderaker comes close to summing up my opinion on this, though perhaps with a bit more resentment/offense than I had (I mostly feel pity for someone so obviously consumed with rage and the more destructive emotions of this life):

I had a busy weekend, and missed it when Hugh Hewitt posted extensive transcripts of the sermons of Jeremiah Wright on Friday evening. The transcripts are devastating to Wright. He is a despicable human being, and the fact that has been ordained, apparently, is a disgrace. Wright has been claiming that he was quoted out of context, and Barack Obama has suggested that Americans would view Wright differently if they heard his whole sermons instead of a few sound bites. In fact, the context makes it worse, and the whole sermons are outrageous. It turns out that "God damn America" understates the baroque hatefulness of Wright's theology.

Still unexplained is what Wright's political screeds have to do with Christianity. I don't know anyone who would sit still for a minister who persistently abused the pulpit to preach hate instead of the Gospel. As a Christian, I am outraged that "Reverend" Wright has hijacked my faith to preach hate and to sow falsehood. How Barack Obama could have participated in this charade for twenty years, and then held himself out as someone fit to lead this nation, is inexplicable.

Let the charges of racism begin...

[Note: if you are unfamiliar with the original definition of baroque (the one NOT referring to classical music), look it up. Hinderocker obviously chose his words very carefully here.]

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by FbL on Apr 28, 2008

April 25, 2008

A little photo essay on protests on college campuses.

In this case, regarding recruiters on campus. I think it speaks for itself.

Anti-anti-recruiter protest.

Perhaps not eloquently, but certainly gets the point across.

If you'd like a larger version to share, we can oblige.

Click here.

Heh. Dude. Recruiting is *not* militarism per se, though it can be a component. Yer english skillz are weak - but you're probably a marketing major or something, right?

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 25, 2008

April 24, 2008

Candygram for Hugo! Candygram for Hugo!

Navy Re-Establishes U.S. Fourth Fleet


Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced today the re-establishment of the U.S. Fourth Fleet and assigned Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, currently serving as commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, as its new commander. Fourth Fleet will be responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

U.S. Fourth Fleet will be dual-hatted with the existing commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO), currently located in Mayport, Fla. U.S. Fourth Fleet has been re-established to address the increased role of maritime forces in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of operations, and to demonstrate U.S. commitment to regional partners.

"Re-establishing the Fourth Fleet recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere, and signals our support and interest in the civil and military maritime services in Central and South America," said Roughead. "Our maritime strategy raises the importance of working with international partners as the basis for global maritime security. This change increases our emphasis in the region on employing naval forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests. "

Effective July 1, the command will have operational responsibility for U.S. Navy assets assigned from east and west coast fleets to operate in the SOUTHCOM area. As a result, U.S. Fourth Fleet will not involve an increase in forces assigned in Mayport, Fla. These assets will conduct varying missions including a range of contingency operations, counter narcoterrorism, and theater security cooperation (TSC) activities. TSC includes military-to-military interaction and bilateral training opportunities as well as humanitarian assistance and in-country partnerships.

U.S. Fourth Fleet will retain responsibility as NAVSO, the Navy component command for SOUTHCOM. Its mission is to direct U.S. naval forces operating in the Caribbean, and Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies to shape the maritime environment.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 24, 2008

April 22, 2008

A look at the campaigns from across the pond...

Subject: One Foreigner's Opinion

We in Denmark cannot figure out why you are even bothering to hold an election.

On one side, you have a witch who is a lawyer, married to a lawyer . . . and a lawyer who is married to a witch who is a lawyer.

On the other side, you have a war hero married to a good looking woman with big gazongas who owns a beer distributorship.

Is there a contest here?"

H/t, Princess Crabby

Aside from the fact that it's funny (and probably is even to many Democrats) the alignments, laid out like that, are... interesting.

Not that war hero, large glands and beer are qualifiers - but that the contrast, I'm thinking, does serve to show a possible source of the Dem's candidates troubles in connecting to significant chunks of the electorate which would otherwise seem an easy-to-connect constituency.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 22, 2008

April 21, 2008

Hmmm. This might be fun. Well, it will amuse me anyway.

Given the discussion that erupted in Kat's post One Man And A Symbol Of Freedom I thought I would toss this out for you to chew on.

The local Ford dealership takes up a full city block. They are ringed with flagpoles. The flags all fly non-standard-sized (there really is a spec) US flags.

Okay.

Since I'm one of those who is not going to beat someone up for flag desecration, edgy "art" and setting illegal fires in urban areas by igniting cloth imbued with symbolism, I thought I would pose this question -

How does wrapping your business in the flag in that way, clearly for crass commercial purposes, differ from the other abuses of the flag?

Or, how about those businesses that run up a flag, slap a light on it, and then fly it until it's little more than tatters?

Is that offensive and abusive?

Full disclosure - I'm the guy who goes to businesses who fly their flag to tatters and gives them a new flag, telling them how sorry I am that their business is doing so badly they can't afford a new bit of $15 bunting.

Fire away!

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 21, 2008

April 18, 2008

Why vigilance (and informed, vice emotional, voting) matters.

I'm not a fan of the death penalty, which makes me a minority around here among the people who have expressed an opinion one way or another on the subject, but Justice Scalia's shot at Justice Stevens in the recent decision regarding Kentucky's Death Penalty methods was, well, interesting.

But actually none of this really matters. As JUSTICE STEVENS explains, " 'objective evidence, though of great importance, [does] not wholly determine the controversy, for the Constitution contemplates that in the end our own judgment will be brought to bear on the question of the acceptability of the death penalty under the Eighth Amendment.' " Ante, at 14 (quoting Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U. S. 304, 312 (2002); emphasis added; some internal quotation marks omitted). "I have relied on my own experience in reaching the conclusion that the imposition of the death penalty" is unconstitutional. Ante, at 17 (emphasis added).

A classic "Living Constitution" argument, since the Founders didn't seem to have any huge problems with the death penalty... A classic example of "rule by judicial fiat" so beloved of people who can't convince the people of the merit of their ideas, and so instead rely on finding "right-thinking" judges to enact their will.

A slippery proposition to be sure. Because both good and bad has come from it.

However, the only way we the people influence this is through our choices for President and Congress. We have no direct input on the Judicial branch at all.

Yet that branch has been imbued in the last 100 years with a vast amount of essentially unchecked (on a day to day basis) power, the only checks being over generational time spans as Judges retire and new ones are appointed.

It means we really, really, really should be paying attention. And keeping that in mind when choosing.

And it's a really good argument to keep the levers of power churning around between the centers of gravity, and for heaven's sakes don't let either herd of asses or elephants hold all the levers.

The potential for mischief is great.

As Justice Scalia further notes:

Purer expression cannot be found of the principle of rule by judicial fiat. In the face of JUSTICE STEVENS' experience, the experience of all others is, it appears, of little consequence. The experience of the state legislatures and the Congress—who retain the death penalty as a form of punishment—is dismissed as "the product of habit and inattention rather than an acceptable deliberative process." Ante, at 8. The experience of social scientists whose studies indicate that the death penalty deters crime is relegated to a footnote. Ante, at 10, n. 13. The experience of fellow citizens who support the death penalty is described, with only the most thinly veiled condemnation, as stemming from a "thirst for vengeance." Ante, at 11. It is JUSTICE STEVENS' experience that reigns over all.

More accurately, it is the experience of 5, mostly unaccountable people, that reigns over all. Which makes picking the people who do the picking important, even if those people as individuals are really nowhere near as important as politicians are wont to believe they are.

The Supremes, however...

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 18, 2008

April 15, 2008

Bellavia takes the plunge...

Bellavia Files For Congress In New York's 26th District

Batavia, NY – Retired Army Staff Sergeant David Bellavia announced today that he is filing the necessary paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to form a campaign committee. The move allows Bellavia to begin raising money for his much anticipated Congressional campaign.

Mr. Bellavia chose to file his candidacy on April 15, 2008, to highlight the need for tax reforms that allow workers to keep more of what they earn.

"During this time of challenge for the U.S. economy, Western New Yorkers need someone who will go to Washington to fight for their job and their families," Mr. Bellavia said. "The last thing voters want is a tax-and-spend liberal who will further burden their wallets with the threat of more taxation."

"If elected to represent the 26th district of New York, I would oppose any effort to raise the personal income tax. I firmly believe that Americans' hard earned income belongs to them – not the federal government."

Mr. Bellavia is the recipient of both the Silver and Bronze Stars, and the Conspicuous Service Cross, New York State's highest award for combat valor. He also has been nominated for The Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in a fierce, urban hand-to-hand fight in the battle of Fallujah in November 2004. Mr. Bellavia is the author of House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, which recounts his experiences on the ground in Iraq.

Mr. Bellavia, a native of Buffalo, lives in western New York with his wife and two sons. There he has founded a local Veteran's Coordination Center that focuses on the early treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other veteran's-related issues and outreach programs. Bellavia is also a co-founder of the non-partisan, non-profit Vets for Freedom organization.

I'm thinking they could do worse, much worse.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 15, 2008

April 14, 2008

Of strategic thinking and presidential candidates

The other day J over at Armchair said that he believed Sen Obama was the better ‘strategic thinker’ of this campaign season. This intrigued me a bit, so I thought about it. I don’t think J is right. Note, in classic Castle Argghhh! style I’m not advocating for any candidate (not like that stops Dusty from doing it, but then he outranks me. And nothing stops Attila, except a chicken bone in the throat---stay away from the chicken and fish, Dusty.). I’m just saying I think that saying Sen Obama has ‘the vision’ superior to others is rather wrong.
(more below the fold)

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Ryan on Apr 14, 2008

Breaking news! New Acquisition for the Arsenal of Argghhh!!!

Eschewing contact with shady arms dealers in the Miami area (based on Boquisucio's advice) I worked with reputable Merchants of Death in the DC area... and the Armorer of Argghhh! can definitively support Senator Hillary Clinton's "dodged sniper fire in Bosnia" story!

We have acquired the *actual* rifle used in that event! The Senator is un-equivocally telling the truth.

The sniper rifle actually used to attack Senator Clinton when she was First Lady visiting Bosnia!

(click the pic for a better, more stealable view)

Unsurprisingly, when we examined closely, we discovered that this rifle, like most phallic objects in the Senator's orbit, only shoots blanks, and displays a disturbing tendency to deposit firing residue on the person pulling the trigger.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 14, 2008

April 12, 2008

The President's Radio Address.

In case you missed it - here's the text of the remarks as prepared for delivery.

ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Fifteen months ago this week, I announced the surge. And this week, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker gave Congress a detailed report on the results.

Since the surge began, American and Iraqi forces have made significant progress. While there's more to be done, sectarian violence, civilian deaths, and military deaths are down. Improvements in security have helped clear the way for political and economic progress. The Iraqi government has passed a budget and three major "benchmark" laws. And many economic indicators are now pointed in the right direction.

Serious and complex challenges remain in Iraq . Yet with the surge, a major strategic shift has occurred. Fifteen months ago, extremists were sowing sectarian violence; today, many mainstream Sunni and Shia are actively confronting the extremists. Fifteen months ago, al Qaeda was using bases in Iraq to kill our troops and terrorize Iraqis; today, we have put al Qaeda on the defensive in Iraq , and now we are working to deliver a crippling blow. Fifteen months ago, Americans were worried about the prospect of failure in Iraq ; today, thanks to the surge, we've revived the prospect of success in Iraq .

This week, General Petraeus reported that security conditions have improved enough to withdraw all five surge brigades. By July 31, the number of U.S. combat brigades in Iraq will be down 25 percent from the year before. Beyond that, General Petraeus says he will need time to assess how this reduced American presence will affect conditions on the ground before making recommendations on further reductions. I've told him he'll have time he needs to make his assessment.

Our job in the period ahead is to stand with the Iraqi government as it makes the transition to responsibility for its own security and its own destiny. So what would this transition look like? On the security front, we will stay on the offense, continue to support the Iraqi security forces, continue to transfer security responsibilities to them, and move over time into an overwatch role.

On the economic front, Iraq 's economy is growing. Iraq is assuming responsibility for almost all the funding of large-scale reconstruction projects, and our share of security costs is dropping as well. On the political front, Iraq is planning to hold elections that will provide a way for Iraqis to settle disputes through the political process instead of through violence.

Our efforts are aimed at a clear goal: a free Iraq that can protect its people, support itself economically, and take charge of its own political affairs. And no one wants to achieve that goal more than the Iraqis themselves.

The turnaround that our men and women in uniform have made possible in Iraq is a brilliant achievement. And we expect that, as conditions on the ground continue to improve, they will permit us to continue the policy of return on success.

I'm confident in our success because I know the valor of the young Americans who defend us. This week, I commemorated the sacrifice of Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who gave his life in Iraq , and became the fourth Medal of Honor recipient in the war on terror. On September 29, 2006, Mike and two teammates had taken a position on a rooftop when an insurgent grenade landed on the roof. Mike threw himself onto the grenade. One of the survivors put it this way: "Mikey looked death in the face that day and said, 'You cannot take my brothers. I will go in their stead.'"

It is heroism like Michael Monsoor's that pays the cost of human freedom. Our prayers remain with Michael's family and with all the men and women who continue his noble fight. We look forward to the day when they return home in victory.

Thank you for listening.

Provided as a public service of the Castle. Discuss to your heart's content.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 12, 2008

So, Bill sends me a note... containing a note.

Heh. Why do all the flak chicks send this stuff to *me* -- *you're* the one with connections!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Subject: DNC: John McCain is Wrong on Civil Rights
To: Da Rotorhead-In-Eyerak.

Hi there Bill -- I'm your media relations rep for PR Newswire, which offers political bloggers public interest breaking news via email. We are the exclusive newswire for this year's DNC and RNC. The release below just crossed our newswire. This is a free service through PR Newswire for Journalists. To register for PRNJ, just reply to this email, letting me know that you'd like to be signed up for the public interest press release emails. We cover a variety of subjects, including foreign and domestic policy, political campaigns, federal and state legislation, energy, and financial services. Just let me know your preferences.

I'd also like to invite you and the Home of Two of Jonah's Military Guys Blog to subscribe to our news release feed via RSS. PR Newswire distributes releases from hundreds of campaigns and public policy groups at every level. Here's a link to the RSS feeds: http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/rssInstructions.jsp. You must be registered with PRNJ to subscribe, but the service is always free.

Questions? Please don't hesitate to contact me at 201-360-6072.

Thanks and have a great day.
Christine

Heh. Flak-chicks. To an aviator, that's a double-entendre!

I responded...

Don't feel too special, flyboy. 27 inch zipper, #82, it's all the same draw. Lefty chicks dig us tripod myrmidons.

Christine.Cube@prnewswire.com wrote: To: johnbethd@yahoo.com
Subject: DNC: John McCain is Wrong on Civil Rights
From: Christine@prnewswire.com
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:45:24 -0400


Hi there Armorer -- I'm your media relations rep for PR Newswire, which offers political bloggers public interest breaking news via email. We are the exclusive newswire for this year's DNC and RNC. The release below just crossed our newswire. This is a free service through PR Newswire for Journalists. To register for PRNJ, just reply to this email, letting me know that you'd like to be signed up for the public interest press release emails. We cover a variety of subjects, including foreign and domestic policy, political campaigns, federal and state legislation, energy, and financial services. Just let me know your preferences.

I'd also like to invite you and The Home of Two Jonah's Military Guys blog to subscribe to our news release feed via RSS. PR Newswire distributes releases from hundreds of campaigns and public policy groups at every level. Here's a link to the RSS feeds: http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/rssInstructions.jsp. You must be registered with PRNJ to subscribe, but the service is always free.

Questions? Please don't hesitate to contact me at 201-360-6072.

Thanks and have a great day.
Christine

Hey, I take the HuffPo's stuff, why not this? Gad, I only subscribe to the enemy's stuff. The RNC doesn't love me...

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 12, 2008

Now I remember why I get the HuffPo digest email every day.

So I can get these gems... like this bit of reportage from Mayhill Fowler. She gives Kat and Ry a run for their money on being... verbose. Some of which, I suspect, is her wanting to show us how educated and observant she is. Heh. Not like I don't suffer from that, now and again.

Anyway - Ms. Fowler is reflecting on following the Obama campaign through Pennsylvania, and more specifically, Senator Obama's fundraiser speech to rich Californians where he lays out what's wrong with Pennsylvania.

These qualities of hospitality, patriotism and endurance are exactly what Californians need to hear about Pennsylvanians. And when he spoke to a group of his wealthier Golden State backers at a San Francisco fund-raiser last Sunday, Barack Obama took a shot at explaining the yawning cultural gap that separates a Turkeyfoot from a Marin County. "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," Obama said. "And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Emphasis mine.

Ms. Fowler continues:

Obama made a problematic judgment call in trying to explain working class culture to a much wealthier audience. He described blue collar Pennsylvanians with a series of what in the eyes of creamy Californians might be considered pure negatives: guns, clinging to religion, antipathy, xenophobia.

I'm not sure this is what at least this lot of Californians needed to hear about Pennsylvanians. Such phrases can reinforce negative stereotypes among Californians, who are a people in a state already surfeited with a smug sense of superiority and, as an ironic consequence, a parochialism and insularity at odds with the innovation, prosperity and openness for which California is rightly known. (Of course, this is a generalization, and as such does not fit everyone; but as a state characteristic I stand by it.) Californians might be better served by hearing that Pennsylvanians have a strong sense of their place in American history, for here California is wanting. California needs to hear that other Americans have gone through hard times and survived, humor intact. Since Barack Obama sees himself as the candidate best able to unify the country, these are the messages he needs to carry and his frank words about Pennsylvania may not have translated very clearly.

Heh. Or perhaps they translated *very* clearly, Ms. Fowler. Those of us who cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment do so only because government has failed us.

And if we elect the Enlightened Senator from Illinois to lead us from the morass of armed superstitious bigoted populist thought in which we wallow, all would be sweetness and light, and we would cast off the shackles of faith and shift ourselves to Bill Maher's worldview, becoming *smart* in the process, beat our guns into iPods, take illegal/legal immigrant families into our homes and provide for them...etc. Heh. And we'd send what was left of our income to the government to send to other poor people the world over. Or something like that.

Heh. Could it be, possibly, that perhaps we cling to those things because we had them all our lives, and our parents had them, and we're stubbornly cling to them because people like "creamy Californians" (a frankly somewhat creepy description) superciliously and paternalistically, and patronizingly pat us on the head and tell us we're stupid and bigoted, and should just do what we're told - when... as in the litany of governmental failure laid out by the Senator... government is as often the problem as it is the solution? That they've worked better for us than government has... And that rich people, who will be comfortable pretty much regardless of what happens, rarely suffering the consequences of their policy failures, just have a credibility problem with the people who *will* suffer? And you, Senator, thus far, are just another glib, gifted orator who isn't really proposing anything really new, but are able to tell us we're superstitious bigoted rubes. Heh. Bill Maher has that niche already, Senator. We don't care that much for him, either.

There are kernels of insight into the Senator's statement. Both into we superstitious bigots and the patrician Senator. So far, I'll stick wth my tribe, Senator. I don't feel welcome, much less respected, in yours. But then, I'm a middle-aged white male, and we're personally responsible for everything that's wrong in the world, since the beginning of time. I know, I went to college, and they told me so.

Or, as Senator McCain's campaign staffer Steve Schmidt put it:

"It shows an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking," Schmidt said. "It is hard to imagine someone running for president who is more out of touch with average Americans."

Ayup.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 12, 2008

April 11, 2008

Bellavia On Glenn Beck: I got my Ph.D. from the university of Fallujah

[Kat]

Bellavia was attacked the other day for an innocent comment during an introduction of Sen. John McCain. He said, (I paraphrase) "you can have your Tiger Woods. I want my two sons to look up to men like John McCain." That after noting that McCain had spent five years in Hanoi Hilton being tortured and refusing to come home before any of the other men who were there before him.

That set off a storm of scurrilous accusations of racism. Glenn Beck had Bellavia and the other Vets for Freedom on his show Wednesday night.

I introduced John McCain at this rally and what I basically said was, was that I was making a comparison of heroes, that all ages and races can look up to, referring to Senator McCain as more -- someone that, you know, should be on a pedestal for my two little boys to look up to, someone like Marcus Luttrell, Michael Mansoor. These are American heroes, compared to professional athletes or entertainers. I looked in the audience. I saw a guy with a Callaway golf hat on and I automatically thought of the most famous golfer who is Tiger Woods and I said, you can have your Tiger Woods as your heroes. We have men like Senator McCain. That's who my boys will look up to.

As usual, the nut bags got Bellavia's personal information and went crazy:

The first response I thought was ridiculous and then it just got more and more absurd with these bloggers getting my personal information out there calling me a bigot. In my world, I have an 8-year-old and a 1-year-old and I'm raising these kids to know that a man who sacrifices.

and...

They have been not only the e-mails that come pouring in but someone leaked, you know, phone numbers and everything else and locations of where people attend school and how they want to educate my kids and save them from their bigoted father. It's just absolutely ridiculous.

Bellavia has often noted in his speeches that there is no place for political persuasion on dog tags and also often noted that he has fought along side of every representation of America:

We are fighting as Americans. We're bleeding next to African-Americans. I fought with Muslim Americans, Glenn, in Iraq. This was never about religion or ethnicity. It's about Americans defending our culture and our way of life and I am proud to say that our legacy, we are the greatest humanitarian organizations ever lived in the United States military and we have nothing to apologize for...

My favorite line, when Glenn is asking him about his upcoming announcement about running for congress and how he'll fair or keep his principles:

my whole thing is, look, man, I faced down six guys in a house. That's my -- you can have your Princeton degree. I got my Ph.D. from the university of Fallujah and to me it's like if I'm not going to back down from Islamo terrorism, I'm certainly not going to back down from a special interest group.

Watch out, David. You keep making comparisons, next thing you know they are going to call you an anti-education troglodyte. ;)

JD Johannes writes about Olbermann's slandering of Bellavia on MSNBC.

Others, stung by their own fears and failing and whose ego will not allow them to acknowledge they are wanting, will ignore and marginalize the hero.

They find the comparison too unsettling.

Many, if tortured the way John McCain was, would not have chosen fortitude--and they know it and it hurts them.

Get JD's movie, Outside the Wire '07 and learn about the real war in Iraq.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Kat on Apr 11, 2008

April 9, 2008

Breaking News from Canada.

Perhaps some of our Canadian readers, especially those of the Center-sorta-left persuasion, like Alan of GenX@40 will offer up their thoughts?

From Kathy Shaidle via The Flea.

Hello everyone,

I wanted you to be the first to know that some Canadian conservative bloggers are being sued by the fellow who Mark Steyn has called "Canada's most sensitive man" -- serial "human rights" complainant Richard Warman.

The suit names:

• Ezra Levant (famous for the YouTube video of his confrontation with the Canadian Human Rights tribunal after he published the "Mohammed Cartoons")

• FreeDominion.ca (Canada's answer to FreeRepublic.com)

• Kate McMillan of SmallDeadAnimals.com

• Jonathan Kay of the National Post newspaper and its in-house blog

• and me, Kathy Shaidle of FiveFeetOfFury.com


More details at my blog, FiveFeetOfFury.

Richard Warman used to work for the notorious Human Rights Commission, which runs the "kangaroo courts" who've recently charged Mark Steyn with "flagrant Islamophobia".

Richard Warman has brought almost half these cases single-handledly, trying to get websites he doesn't like shut down.

He's also sued libraries for carrying books he doesn't approve of.

PLUS Richard Warman wants to ban international websites he doesn't like from being seen by Canadians.

Sites like yours.

The folks named in his new law suit are the very bloggers who have been most outspoken in their criticism of Warman's methods.

>WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The Canadian Human Rights Commission says "freedom of speech is an American concept" they refuse to recognize.

Some Canadians DO believe in freedom of speech, and take our inspiration from our great American neighbors.

I for one "pledge my life, my fortune, and my sacred honor" to the cause of free speech.

I vow to battle Richard Warman and his leftist supporters whatever it costs.

Thank you in advance for anything you can do to support our cause.

We hope you'll join our battle!

As Ezra Levant notes:

Warman’s not just suing me. He’s suing some of the biggest names in the Canadian blogosphere – from Kate McMillan of Small Dead Animals to Kathy Shaidle of Five Feet of Fury (or, Five Feet of Furry, as the lawsuit says on page 2), to Free Dominion, the largest conservative chat site in Canada. Warman’s goal is breathtaking in its chutzpah: he wants to muzzle the Canadian conservative Internet. It’s not just his goal – it’s the goal of the CHRC itself, and its friends at the Canadian Jewish Congress, who have stated their goal is to “tame” the Internet – or at least those voices they disagree with. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the CJC was bankrolling Warman’s lawsuit – they’ve done joint legal work together before, and Warman’s number one defender is on the CJC’s legal committee. The CJC hates conservatives, and this would be a way for them to do damage to the conservative blogosphere without taking the political flak for it.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 09, 2008

Attacking Bellavia: Comparing Heroes Now "Racist"

[Kat]

Well, it was bound to happen. Hot Air reports that some guy named Sam Stein over at the Huffington Post is implying that Bellavia, in comparing Tiger Woods as a hero for children to Sen. John McCain's heroism in withstanding five years of imprisonment and torture in Hotel Hanoi is somehow making a subtle racist comment. Of course, the commenters over at the HuffPo (loser central) went crazy about the terrible McCain Supporting Racist.

Some other ..person... at some place called Hotline also posts a similar comment. Of course, they are, as Hot Air notes, "treading lightly" on the subject by merely suggesting that, in today's political atmosphere, maybe its not a good idea to ever mention the name of a person of a different race or ethnicity in comparison to a person that isn't because any idiot can decide to construe it, in the name of politics, as racism.

I cannot even say how incensed I am over even the implication that Bellavia's comments were racist. At first, I thought that it was so ignorant it was not worth a reply, but I read the foolish comments in the posts, attempted to post a reply with refuting information and then realized I was unable to do so. Thus, I am posting here.

(continued in flash traffic)

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Kat on Apr 09, 2008

April 2, 2008

I've been pretty resistant...

...about getting all snarkily political this silly season.

But sometimes, you just can't resist, and I *do* have Photoshop®. There *is* this thing called the Internet...

So, Senator Clinton, in Philadelphia yesterday, compared herself to... Rocky.

I had a very strong mental image of Senator Clinton's arrival at the Democratic National Convention this summer...

Rocky VII - The Horror...


Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 02, 2008

March 27, 2008

A Castle Public Service...

...to higher education. I got an email:

Dear John, Dusty, and Bill,

I am writing you in the hopes that you might be able to help me with a research study I am conducting as part of my research training in psychology at New York University. I would be very grateful to you if you could possibly post to your blog the link to a Web survey I am conducting as part of this study. I detail the research question we are trying to address below, but I would first like to assure you up front that this is not to sell anything, make a profit, or promote any sort of political agenda. What we are doing is conducting what we think is rather ground-breaking scientific research in the hopes of better understanding voting behavior from a psychological perspective.

The survey we are conducting is not aimed at changing respondents' opinions in any way, and this study is not being funded by any interest group or any of the candidates - rather, funding comes from a National Science Foundation grant for social psychological research.

Along with a team of students headed by Professor Yaacov Trope (NYU faculty), I am working on a model that will hopefully help us understand...

[big chunk deleted by request].

I would be more than happy to answer any questions about this research or provide references if you are interested in learning more about what we are doing.

Again, I would immensely appreciate your help with our project. The only thing you would have to do is post the URL in your blog (hopefully in the near future, as we are interested in how people reason about the four candidates, while at least 2 out of 4 are still competing for a party nomination). Also, I would ask you to please block any comments on the posting of the survey. I realize that this is a bit of a pain, but it is a necessary precaution we have to take in order to avoid the bias that is likely to result when new respondents see comments about the survey before taking it. [Emphasis mine] On a related note, the research hypothesis described above should not be included in the posting [that big deleted chunk], since knowing the hypothesis also creates unwanted effects in the data. I hope that this does not deter you from posting the survey, which should be easy to do and would really help us recruit some politically savvy respondents, which we badly need!

Here's the link to the Survey.

There's more below the fold in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry.

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

March 26, 2008

Vets For Freedom in Kansas City.

As Jim B reminded us last night:

Kansas City, MO - Thursday, March 26/27, 2008 What: Townhall at The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial: Vets for Freedom will participate in a townhall & forum event with a book signing from the Vets for Freedom Heroes to follow.

When: 7pm March 26th

Where: 100 W. 26th Street, Kansas City MO, 64108

Open to the Public

After they got cancelled by some punk HS principal in Minn, I wouldn't miss being here.

Denizens Jim and Kat will be there. Due to other commitments, I probably will not. Any other readers going to attend? If so - would love to have your stories from the event!

Jim B and the Dole Institute want you to know...

And tomorrow ....Vets for Freedom Heroes travel to Lawrence or as John calls it "the Flaw on the Kaw"

What: Visit at the Dole Institute of Politics


WHEN: March 27, 2008, 9:30 am

Where: The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics (2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS 66045)

***Open to the Public***

I would be there, but I have a work obligation that cannot be rescheduled.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Mar 26, 2008

Gollum Watches TV. It’s PBS so it’s OK. (Review of the ‘Bush’s War’ documentary from Frontline.)

The last two nights PBS has been showing a documentary called ‘Bush’s War’on Frontline. It was a two part doc run over two nights, with the first night covering the run up and the second night covering the aftermath. I know what many people are going to say, ‘It’s PBS ergo it is liberal minded, BDS trash.’ Not quite, and, honestly, not really.

On the whole, no, I didn’t like this. I found this to be rather contrived and predictable in its treatment. I’d call it journalism but not real documentary making, and I’d definitely never call this a good historical chronicle of events. Liberals will watch this and feel justified in their daily five minute hates. Conservatives will watch and be even more convinced that PBS is nothing but a liberal mouth piece. People who didn’t pay the greatest of attention will be left with a flawed and incomplete view of what happened and why, though better than what they had on their own dime. I may not have liked it, and sorry for being all Terry Teachout here, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching. It is worth watching. It is detestable at points, and maybe misleading at some others by my estimation, but it is worth watching for the many things it does do well (even if I don’t include them in my highlights). It does present some arguments that some of us on the rightish side of the aisle might not be able to easily answer, disprove, or set aside. For that it is worth watching.

There is a lot worth sitting thru the 3+ hours of this documentary to see. I cannot go into all the things I liked or disliked here (John’d kill me if I wrote a 10 pager (‘My bandwidth, my beautiful bandwidth!’), plus I simply don’t want to write that much about it.). Highlights include things like why Cheney may have had reason to distrust CIA and answers about the Atta in Prague story. There are nuggets here worth watching for. I, and you, may not agree with the total treatment but it is worth watching. It definitely goes out of its way to show things as controversial and to delve into office politics heavily, which I didn’t really go for. That turned it into nothing more than power politics and pecker waving contests, and I don’t believe much is ever that simple.

It is worth watching simply to have a single, coherent primer of what the dominate narrative about the Iraq *is*, right or wrong that narrative may be.

The short of it is that it does seem to follow a preset script and the Iraq War a bad thing and that there are definite villains of this play we are supposed to hate (boo Rumsfeld, essentially). The short of it is a reason not to watch. The long of it, the volume of data and other events surrounding the how and why, is a reason to watch.

(The long of it is below the fold.)

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by Ryan on Mar 26, 2008

March 21, 2008

Annoyed black man rants...

This fella, I'm happy to say, is a friend of mine, as is his wife and their wonderfully diverse family. I swiped a huge bit of his latest rant, simply because in this America, he gets to say things I can't... He does use rougher language than I allow 'round here - so when you go read the whole thing (and you should) be prepared for that - you'll see what I mean from the edits I made.

While speaking to one of my student interns the other day he asked me what I looked for in a president. Basically I told him, nothing, not a damn thing. I don’t want my president to do a damn thing, I don’t want he or she to say anything, I want them to just occupy the space, don’t f*ck sh*t up, don’t push any red buttons or try to fix anything. I want them to vacation hard and long. Bottom line; just keep you f*cken mouth shut and try not to do anything too stupid. Is that asking too much?

For as long as I can remember I have regarded the presidency as a middle management position basically because the smarter the president tended to be the more likely they were to f*ck sh*t up. [emphasis mine!]

I don’t want my president to fix health care, I don’t want my president trying to “create” jobs. That is not what they do. I don’t want my president trying to fix race relations, or trying to cure world hunger, or spreading democracy or being the world’s f*cken police.

What about Iraq, Snoop? (sigh). Well being in Iraq and the Middle East was inevitable. Being in Iraq is a necessary evil and folks on both sides of the political divide are on the same page about how badly it got screwed up. However, to appease the monkeys on both sides of the political animal cages politicians throw out withdrawal timetables on one hand while the other growls about “finishing the job” and “keep America safe.” We are in Iraq because we needed a place to park troops – To keep a closer eye on the oil and the many nut jobs in the region.


That's not enough for you to click through on the link at the bottom? Okay - mebbe this will get you interested..

So, I’ll muddle through this as best I can, but it will no doubt seem disjointed to some. You can blame it on the lingering effects of my a$$ kicking flu or my increasing irritation with the news media and America’s new found racial enlightenment all because Barack Hussein Obama was feeling the pressure of anti-American backlash because he decided to attend a church to give him street credibility while at the same time embracing an over the top whitey-America hating Pastor. Folks maybe it is just me, being a black dude, conservative minded, independent thinking, beat of thy own drummer cranky ranting f*ck who just sees the mud and dirt all over every damn aspect of American politics.

Naw, Mr. L, you aren't alone. The rest of you? Go check out PoliticalPartyPoop for the rest of this rant!

Politics isn't always the answer. Sometimes, just let the ball roll and it'll take care of itself. But when your only tool is a hammer - all problems look like nails. That's why the Founders created the Three Branches, with the ex-officio 4th and 5th - to provide some competition. Only the 4th and 5th aren't always pulling their weight.

What do I mean? When the press let's themselves get captured by their biases (many voices! many voices! that's the impact of blogs and talk radio) and we the people (#5) won't periodically cull that herd of 535 people in DC. They've got no entitlement to the job, they've got a much-better-than-average retirement package without having to put in the years the rest of us do - send 'em home to get real jobs every now and then.

Heh. As if.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Mar 21, 2008

March 14, 2008

Winter Soldier II, IVAW's attempt to reprise Senator Kerry's political debut...

I've been so busy the last few weeks, I'd completely forgotten the Iraq Veteran's Against the War (IVAW) upcoming "Winter Soldier II"

I first discussed Winter Soldier II this last January.

And, promptly forgot about it. Fuzzybear Lioness hasn't. She sent me a note:



In a nutshell, IVAW's description of "Winter Soldier II" has gone from "Iraq's version of Winter Soldier--same script, different country" (war crimes, it's the politicians' fault, etc) to a cross between an academic seminar on the veteran experience and a TINS exercise. Today they make no mention of the first iteration, though remnants of their original affiliation with it remained on their site as few as TWO days ago (though it had been toned WAYYYYY down).

I like my take on it: Wolves in Sheepdog clothing.

#@$%^Y^%#@#%$!

#@$%^Y^%#@#%$! indeed.

Heh. Wolves in Sheepdog Clothing. I like that. Though I'm sure there will be many well-intentioned people present - the change in their posted rhetoric would indicate they took some flak they probably weren't expecting. Or perhaps it will just be this generation's CW4(Ret)Bill T's telling stories that start out "This is no shiite..."

Or, it could be something else. Something along the lines of what Jason Mattera of the Young America's Foundation found the chance to chat with Senator Kerry about - the original Winter Soldier.

Heh. Senator Kerry. A man for all seasons, or whatever he needs to be on any given day, anyway.

Hosting provided by FotoTime

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Mar 14, 2008

March 12, 2008

David Mamet - welcome to my world.

I've got a seat for you in my tent.

An excerpt:

I'd observed that lust, greed, envy, sloth, and their pals are giving the world a good run for its money, but that nonetheless, people in general seem to get from day to day; and that we in the United States get from day to day under rather wonderful and privileged circumstances—that we are not and never have been the villains that some of the world and some of our citizens make us out to be, but that we are a confection of normal (greedy, lustful, duplicitous, corrupt, inspired—in short, human) individuals living under a spectacularly effective compact called the Constitution, and lucky to get it.

For the Constitution, rather than suggesting that all behave in a godlike manner, recognizes that, to the contrary, people are swine and will take any opportunity to subvert any agreement in order to pursue what they consider to be their proper interests.

To that end, the Constitution separates the power of the state into those three branches which are for most of us (I include myself) the only thing we remember from 12 years of schooling.

The Constitution, written by men with some experience of actual government, assumes that the chief executive will work to be king, the Parliament will scheme to sell off the silverware, and the judiciary will consider itself Olympian and do everything it can to much improve (destroy) the work of the other two branches. So the Constitution pits them against each other, in the attempt not to achieve stasis, but rather to allow for the constant corrections necessary to prevent one branch from getting too much power for too long.

Rather brilliant. For, in the abstract, we may envision an Olympian perfection of perfect beings in Washington doing the business of their employers, the people, but any of us who has ever been at a zoning meeting with our property at stake is aware of the urge to cut through all the pernicious bullshit and go straight to firearms.

I found not only that I didn't trust the current government (that, to me, was no surprise), but that an impartial review revealed that the faults of this president—whom I, a good liberal, considered a monster—were little different from those of a president whom I revered.

You really owe it to yourself to read the rest of "Why I am no longer a 'Brain Dead' liberal.", by David Mamet, writing in the Village Voice.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �