The UK Liberals Love: Immigrant Detention Riot in Britain

You might have an immigration problem if…

“More than 150 illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers will be freed from custody after a riot wrecked Britain's biggest detention centre.
John Reid was forced to release the men back on to the streets after a wave of blazes and destruction lasting for more than 18 hours at Harmondsworth, in west London.
The farce was blamed on Labour's failure to provide enough cells for the huge number of illegal immigrants and foreign criminals waiting to be deported from the UK. The rioting, still not under full control late yesterday evening and sparked by guards turning off a television set, left large parts of the £70m centre out of action.
But - because prisons and other detention centres across the country are already full - the Home Secretary had nowhere to move the failed asylum seekers and overseas criminals being detained at Harmondsworth.
It forced him to order a clear out of 150 illegal immigrants - all of them awaiting removal from the UK - from other detention centres in London and the South East to make way for them.
They were 'bailed' and told to report regularly to the authorities - despite fears they will simply abscond. They are effectively being rewarded for the rioting of their fellow illegal immigrants, albeit indirectly.
In a second twist, it emerged immigration staff have been told not to detain any new suspected illegals or failed asylum seekers for the next 48-hours. Officials say it would be pointless as there is nowhere to put them.
Shadow Immigration Minister, Damian Green said: 'This outbreak is a symptom of a system out of control.'
Lin Homer, head of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, described the riots - which have already caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage - as a 'deliberate attempts at sabotage' by illegals hell-bent on remaining in the UK.”

Gee, Ya think?

Drip, Drip, Drip: Still More Leaks of Classified Information from the NY Times

Apparently, the NY Times has two goals; one, to deliver more classified information into the hands of America’s adversaries than any other print media in history. Second, to do it’s best to be the largest hindrance to the Bush administration in history – right up to the last day of his term. Today, they take another step in that mighty direction:

(CNN) -- Iraq's prime minister saw his support erode on two fronts Wednesday as a White House memo questioned his leadership and a powerful political bloc suspended participation in Iraq's government. The classified memo by President Bush's national security adviser Stephen Hadley questions whether Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki can end the bloody sectarian violence in Iraq, and especially whether he can rein in the Mehdi Army militia loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Hours after details of the Hadley memo first appeared in Wednesday's New York Times, Cabinet ministers and members of the Iraqi parliament loyal to al-Sadr underscored al-Maliki's shaky position, saying they would stop participating in his government.
The al-Sadr supporters had said earlier they would take such action if al-Maliki went ahead with a meeting with Bush on Thursday in Jordan.
The Hadley memo outlines steps the United States could take to strengthen al-Maliki, including sending more U.S. troops to boost security in Baghdad. [All emphasis added.]

Again, what part of “classified” does the Times not get?

As far as damage is concerned “There are about 30 lawmakers loyal to al-Sadr in the 275-member parliament, and six Cabinet ministers from his bloc” and they not participating in the new Iraqi government is probably a good idea, anyway. It only took 1 Benedict Arnold to hurt the Revolution, and it only took 19 Islamic kooks to commit the 9/11 tragedy, so the loss of these 36 possible “Benedicts” is not a bad thing. However, the real damage is to Maliki; now he and his country’s biggest enemy, al-Sadr and his band of killers, have proof of Maliki’s political weakness, verified by a second party friendly to Maliki -- his American allies – as incentive to keep pushing the new Iraqi government till it falls. They have this confirmation now thanks to THE NEW YORK TIMES! The memo states that the US, if convinced of Maliki’s genuineness about wanting a free and democratic Iraq, wewould go to such lengths as putting more troops in Iraq to stabilize him. This could only help strengthen the new government and make the US’s removal from the country come sooner. Now, the enemies of that land have more reason to continue subverting the new government.

Let’s sum it up. A so-called “American” media institution, who advocated the prosecution of Bush Administration officials for supposedly leaking the name of a covert agent (which they didn’t) to the media is now leaking classified information, AGAIN, and this time the results could cost more American soldiers’ lives and a longer stay in Iraq than needed – something the paper and it’s editorial board (and every other department) decries at any available opportunity. THIS ladies and gentlemen is IRONY at its best.

The blood of American soldiers is now on the hands of the NY Times. An entire COUNTRY may now suffer more so than before, because the NYT can’t keep its mouth shut.

**UPDATE: **
You can find even more information on the Times' treachery HERE.,
courtesy Michelle "Ultra-violet" Malkin. Apparently, the Times is seeking someone -- anyone -- to defend it's "right" to reveal classified information. Maybe they can explain to me what the "public's right to know" was here?

Another Useless Ahmadinejad Letter

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is taking pen to paper again, this time saying he will be writing directly to the American people:

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to the American people that will be released at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday, a state newspaper reported.The newspaper gave no details of the letter, an apparent attempt by the firebrand president to reach out to Americans over the head of their government.The state-run newspaper Iran reported the letter in bold type on its front page, saying "the five-page letter to the American people will be released by Iran's representative at the United Nations today." Ahmadinejad wrote a rambling, 18-page letter to President Bush in May, which Washington criticized for not addressing Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. is leading the drive to impose U.N. sanctions on Tehran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium.

The article quotes Mahmoud as saying “Many American people asked me to talk to them in order to explain the views of the Iranian people.”

Besides, the idiocy of sending a letter to the “American people” to the U.N. (of all places,) I think the position of the Iranian government is more important, since the “Iranian people” don’t have freedom of speech and press there, and dissenting opinions are dealt with harshly. The position of the Iranian government was clear: they are not going to allow inspections of their nuclear program for “generating electricity” and neither are they going to cease enriching uranium and plutonium – material that can be used for nukes. Nothing else need be said. The world has said they can’t have it. If the rest of the world were serious about enforcing the stupid UN resolution that says they can’t enrich uranium, troops would be on the ground there already.

This is more political posturing by “Ahmadinner-jacket” trying to capitalize on the fallout from the elections this November, and further stalling while the pathetic U.N. talks incessantly, and Iran puts their first nukes together.

FAIR TAX BLOGBURST 11-29-06

by Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous

Now that the aftermath of the elections have subsided, I want to follow-up on what TD said in the FTBB a couple of weeks ago about grassroots campaigning. As we have mentioned on countless occasions, whether you are a Republican or Democrat or Libertarian, the FairTax is for you.

I, myself did not heed my own advice for I grew disconcerted immediately after the election for the FairTax's prospects. Me, being an individual that leans right of center in virtually every facet of my life thought the Democrat Party would not be the party to implement the FairTax.

But, the more I have come to think of it the more I grow somewhat optimistic. Why? Well, the Democrat Party has promised to reform government in many ways, and one in particular is ethics reform and reducing/eliminating earmarks. This is where our grassroots campaign must be decisive. We must remain vigilant to stay one step ahead of societal evolution in bring in the nation our message. The FairTax fits this agenda. It will and is designed to work to disrupt and eliminate the albatross that is our current system.

People around this country can and are already beginning to realize this phenomenon. Take Mr. Stephen Sanders of Fayetteville, NC:

Congressional scandals were a part of the changes in the last election. Many citizens cast their votes out of disgust at the influence-peddling of some congressional representatives and their highly paid lobbyist friends.

Quite often, this influence-peddling involves special tax considerations for those who hire the lobbyists. The lobbyists make large salaries by persuading members of Congress to tweak the tax code in favor of the lobbyists’ clients. This is where loopholes, tax incentives, tax exemptions and tax exclusions come from. It is a large part of why the U.S. tax code is so complex and convoluted. It is also why we desperately need the Fair Tax.

The Fair Tax is very aptly named because it is, unlike the current income tax, fair. The Fair Tax replaces the income tax with a national retail sales tax. Under the Fair Tax, there are no exemptions, no loopholes and no special consideration for the privileged few. There is no convoluted tax code that even Internal Revenue Service experts cannot figure out. And because the Fair Tax treats everyone the same without exceptions, exemptions, and loopholes, there is less influence-peddling.

It Don't Get Much Better Than This...

I left the house at 8:30am stopping to pick up some breath mints in anticipation of a close encounter with an opthamologist.

The wait at the eye doctor's was the shortest ever. But surprise! The reason my contacts aren't doing the job they should is cataracts. Not to worry. All I have to do is wear glasses for 3 weeks, they measure for the lens and after a quick couple of surgeries, my vision will be better than ever.

But wait. My glasses date back to 1986. They look like something Elvis wore in the jungle room, sat on a few hundred times and then drove his cadillac over.

So I order new glasses, the lenses of which I'll only use for about six weeks. My eyes were dilated and I was having trouble seeing things close up. As the technician put the pair I selected behind the counter I thought I saw the glint of a rhinestone on the bow (what is it with me and Elvis?) but by then I was late for work and had an elderly dog at home to check on.

The nice lady gave me an envelope before I left containing a large piece of very dark plastic with cardboard ear hangers which made me chuckle. (Like I'm going to wear that when I won't even wear my Elvis glasses. Ha!) Moments later, with tears streaming down my face I was in the parking lot, dumping the contents of my purse to find the envelope.

I made it home by driving slowly in the left lane for 15 miles and figured out that if I couldn't tell what color the stop lights were it meant they were green. The red ones I could see.

When I walked in the front door at home, still wearing the black plastic wrap around pretend sunglasses, I felt my foot slip just a tad on the carpet but thought nothing of it. I let the dog outside to eat his lunch and he promptly ran away. Then I took off the sunglasses.

He had thrown up in just about every room in our house that had carpeting. We're talking major cleanup which is more than you probably want to know.

Finally, I have to go back out into the blinding sunlight to find him and convince him I am not going to kill him, will he please come home, which he did.

Then I discover I had locked us out of the house and had to drag an iron chair to the only unlocked window. The landing spot on the inside was wet from where the dog had thrownup.

Did I mention I was late for work?

More Candidates Running for Office That Aren’t, But Are, But Aren’t…

You could fall asleep waiting for them to make up their minds...

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, who is mulling a presidential bid, will travel to New Hampshire next month.
The Illinois senator will join New Hampshire Democrats on Dec. 10 for a belated celebration of their big win in the midterm election. It will be one of Obama's first forays into an early voting state. Though still in his first term in the Senate, Obama has attracted national attention for his fresh face, commanding speaking style and compelling personal story. The race for the 2008 Democratic nomination is considered wide open, and at least a dozen potential contenders are weighing formal bids. Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, the front-runner should she enter the Democratic race, have generated buzz with appearances in Iowa, but both have avoided New Hampshire thus far. "We are honored that Senator Obama has accepted our invitation to celebrate the historic, tidal wave victory New Hampshire's Democrats experienced this November," state party Chairwoman Kathy Sullivan said Tuesday in announcing the visit.

Lincoln Memorial Closed Briefly Due To Anthrax Hoax

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Authorities briefly closed the Lincoln Memorial on Monday after finding suspicious containers and a note reading, "Do you know what anthrax is?" and "Do you know what a bomb is?"
The scare began about noon when a visitor to the memorial discovered the note in a plastic document holder near the steps of the memorial.
After evacuating the area, U.S. Park Police found a travelers' coffee mug near the note on the steps and a Gatorade bottle in a women's restroom, said Wayne Benson, a battalion chief with the District of Columbia fire department.
None of the objects was found to be a threat, Benson said.
The memorial was reopened less than three hours later. No injuries were reported.


Prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.

Iraq Study Group: What's Your Opinion?

Haystack over at A Soldiers Perspective has posted an open question and encourages everyone to repsond.

Here's a brief snip;
find out what the blog world thinks about the info starting to leak out from the Iraq Study group, and the idea that Syria and Iran should be brought to the table as peacemakers and peace-negotiators in the Iraq war.

CJ's site has been plagued, as all of the milblogs lately, with drive-by postings from moonbats.
Cruise on over and give a look, leave an opinion. Mine is already there.

You Be The Editor...(#2)

Yesterday's "You Be The Editor" section worked out so well, I thought we could do another one today. This one is a little harder. You write the caption.

Jimma Karta on Larry King A'-Live Tonight @ 9pm

For those of you who love comedy, I hear that Larry King will host Jimmy Carter tonight on his show. I would watch but I have urgent matters; like laundry for our pet goldfish.

If anyone has the intestinal fortitude to sit through it, bring us back a summation and put it in the comments for us. Much appreciated.

Islamic View on Jesus in Turkey

Does anyone out there STILL think there isn't serous issues between Christianity and Islam?
So much for "we all worship the same God." (With all due respect, no we don't, and yes, He IS.)

Democrats Will Not Stop Inuslting The Troops!

They just won't quit.

Now Chuckie Rangel is throwing snide remarks at the troops!

Via Hot Air

"I want to make it abundantly clear: if there’s anyone who believes that these youngsters want to fight, as the Pentagon and some generals have said, you can just forget about it. No young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment. If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq."
-Charles Rangel

I'd like to see him go toe-to-toe with Norman Swartzkoff or Colin Powell with that statement.
Hell, I'd like to see him go toe-to-toe with ME and make that statement.

Bend over and open wide America, this is what you wanted by putting these creeps in office, this is what you get. I don't know if the Republicans are hearing your "message", but the troops sure are.

(Sweeping out the trash is what primaries are for, not general elections.)

You Be The Editor...

Make up your own caption.

Lee Brothers On WRVA1140 Monday 11-27-06

THE LEE BROTHERS ARE ON THE AIR!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH AND DECEMBER 11TH
ON 1140 WRVA
3:00PM to 6:00PM

LISTEN ON LINE AT WWW.1140WRVA.COM

VISIT THEIR NEW AND CHANGING WEB SITE AT WWW.THELEEBROTHERS.COM FOR ARCHIVED
SHOWS AND SPECIAL APPEARANCES.

E-MAIL AT LEEBROTHERS1140@AOL.COM

Coulter, Charen, and the Six Imams

I read through the rest of today's column by Ann Coulter and I recommend it. It has more information on why U.S. Airways asked six imams to leave a flight to Minneapolis (other than the media's presumption of "racism" against muslims.)

Says Ann:

"Witnesses said the imams stood to do their evening prayers in the terminal before boarding, chanting "Allah, Allah, Allah" -- coincidentally, the last words heard by hundreds of airline passengers on 9/11 before they died."
(Looks like I am not the only one who sees a pattern in past history.)
"Witnesses also said that the imams were talking about Saddam Hussein, and denouncing America and the war in Iraq. About the only scary preflight ritual the imams didn't perform was the signing of last wills and testaments. After boarding, the imams did not sit together and some asked for seat belt extensions, although none were morbidly obese. Three of the men had one-way tickets and no checked baggage. Also they were Muslims."

Mona Charen at Town Hall has some inforamtion on this, too and adds:

"While we would love to think that Islam is as pacific as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism or Hinduism, the facts suggest otherwise. Time and again, terrorists who have committed or attempted to commit murder on a large scale have done so after becoming serious Muslims. "

The only qualification I would make to that statement is to say that her feelings hold here in America, but I have friends in India who say different about Hinduism and Buddhism. There, they are just as prosecutorial as Islam, but lack forced conversion (convert or die) and have not assaulted the world in "9/11, Kobar Towers, Tanzanian Embassy, U.S.S. cole-style" tactics.

Both articles are well worth the time it takes to read them.


By the way, for those who made the same allegation of racism at me for my column about the Ellis victory speech (and every other piece I wrote that didn't support the radical muslim position) "Islam" and "muslim" are not races. It's a religion. What you were supposed to accuse me of was "Islamo-phobia." But, I understand. It's hard to keep track of all those slurs when you have so many of them, isn't it.

Best Turkey Ever!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Both of our children, one a civilian again and the other a nurse, were at the table with us this year and, believe me, we gave thanks.

Taking a cue from Alton at I'mNotEmeril (I think he really is but don't tell anyone), I'd like to share the turkey recipe I've used for a couple of years now. It is scrumptious and just about fool proof. As a blogger, it seems appropriate that the recipe was found on the internet.

Alice Waters' Brine Recipe:
The recipe makes enough brine for a large turkey. If brining only one chicken or a pork roast, cut the recipe in half.

2-1/2 gallons cold water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup brown(white is OK) sugar
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1 bunch fresh thyme, or 4 tablespoons dried
1 whole head of garlic, peeled
5 whole allspice berries, crushed

Place the water in a large pot that can easily hold the liquid and the meat you intend to brine. (I use a big pot intended for canning tomatoes. The turkey this year weighed 19 lbs. and was a perfect fit.)

Add all the ingredients and stir for a minute or so until the sugar and salt dissolve. (I don't measure the water, just eyeball it. After you put the turkey in you can add water to cover it. I also put the turkey in breast side down.)

Refrigerate poultry in the brine for 24 hours. If the meat floats to the top, use a plate or other weight to keep it completely submerged in the brine.

When ready to roast, remove turkey from brine and rinse thouroughly. No need to salt the cavity of the turkey because it has already been salted with the brine.

Stuff the cavity with lemons, herbs, and onions, if desired. Rub the skin with oil and sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. (We use traditional homemade stuffing instead, and added mushrooms this year. Yum.)

Cook uncovered in a 400-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes per pound until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh registers at least 165 degrees. (Thank heaven for those little pop-up things.)

The drippings make wonderful gravy - no additional seasoning needed and the turkey skin is deliciously crispy. Try it this Christmas!

"Coulter-palooza:" Irony And The Six Imams

"The idea that a Muslim boycott against US Airways would hurt the airline proves that Arabs are utterly tone-deaf. This is roughly the equivalent of Cindy Sheehan taking a vow of silence. How can we hope to deal with people with no sense of irony? The next thing you know, New York City cab drivers will be threatening to bathe."

-- Ann Coulter

Left-wing Irony. Gee, I wonder where we heard that before?

Happy Thanksgiving

To all our friends out there in the blogsphere...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

FROM UNITED CONSERVATIVES OF VIRGINIA

They Came Here With Nothing And Now They Have A Store

This is the best article that I have seen come out of the Times dispatch in many, many years (I wonder how it made it past the editors there.) How appropriate that it should come out on the day before Thanksgiving, when natural-born Americans will get the chance to count their blessings, too.

“The standard American workweek lasts 40 hours, thank you very much. Not for the Kim family of Henrico County.
The Kims run a little laundry, the Suds Emporium, in Lakeside: seven days a week and 12 hours a day more or less, 360 days a year.
That's roughly 84 hours a week, week in and week out.
But they're going to take Thanksgiving off and take time to be grateful."Thanks for God, America, the Pilgrim Fathers -- and all Indians," said family patriarch Sung Do Kim, smiling.
Sung Do Kim and his wife, Sang Soon Ro Kim, came to the U.S. from Korea in 1998, seeking better education for their two children.
"My dad always tells me this is an opportunity land," said their daughter, Bong Sun. "Work hard to achieve whatever I plan to do."”

Read it. Email it. Print it out and give it to someone in your sphere of influence. Blog Burst it. If some immigrants can get it, why are some Americans having such a problem with it?

Who's Really Delusional Here?

My main man, and master satirist “Bohemian Like You” (BLY) has a beautiful slap-down of Richard Dawkins, author of “The God Delusion” over at “Where Have You Gone Ronald Reagan.” For those fortunate ones who may be asking yourself “Who the heck is Dawkins?” Dawkins is a “preeminent scientist” assuring us in his book “with rigor and whit” of “…the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society from the crusades to 9/11.”

One day, the clouds will pull back, the sky will open, and The Truth will descend, and “his eminence” Dawkins will get the chance to explain his scientific opinion. I wouldn’t miss that debate for anything.

Retro-Wednesday: Zombie Time Photo Gallery

Retro-Wednesday Flashback

I thought it would be great to do “Retro-Wednesday.” So, to start it out, here is a blast from the past, courtesy of Zombie, at zombietime.com. The last photo in the gallery, though funny at the time, is a stark reminder of what can happen if we are not vigilant in putting forth the conservative message to the people of this great country.

A List For The Left To Give Thanks For

The “Ultra-Violet” of the blogsphere gives the far left a few things to be thankful for over turkey tomorrow.

How true, how true.

Bad Blogger, Bad Blogger!

Blogger's upload server was down for most of the day.
Regular posting will resume in a couple of hours.

Exporting Democracy

I hope our Viet Nam Vets are able
to see these pictures.

President George W. Bush represents
not just the United States as it is in 2006
but all that America's young warriors did
so many years ago to try and save the
Vietnamese people from the nightmare of
communism.



Those cheering Vietnamese are thanking YOU!







It's been a long time coming and a long ways to go but it is no little thing that happened in Saigon this week.




Too bad John Kerry wasn't there. Oh wait, he was.

Troll Bat on Aisle 5

Ok, listen-up TROLLS! This web site is not a Democracy, it’s a benevolent dictatorship.

I think we’ve demonstrated over the last few weeks an extraordinary amount of patience with your foul language and your name-calling. You have no right to freedom of speech here. We ALLOW you to come here and express your opinion, but you don’t have a RIGHT to be heard. I will allow most left-wing comments to pass because they are instructional on what crazy opinions the left has. However, there is no law saying I have to let you sit back and verbally abuse the posters to this site, especially swearing personal ones.

So, comments are now moderated. I have a big troll bat, and I am not afraid to use it. Express all the left-wing silliness you want, but the first cuss-word that comes out of your mouth and I will send your comment to Davy Jones’s Locker. You want to cuss and be abusive, post on Democrat Underground with the rest of the Orks. But not here.

Alpheus

Oh Drat...

I spent a couple of hours putting together a post, went to make some corrections and one thing led to another. I somehow deleted all but three words. Never mind. I like pictures better anyway. They're easier to read.

Black Racism And Preventing Another Katrina "Disaster?": Kill All The White People

Unbelievable! You know, I knew that the left was painting the government's response to Hurrican Katrina in New Orleans as a racist plot by G. W. Bush to kill black people. I have even heard the wild rumors put out that Bush sent people down to New Orleans to bomb the levys to ensure the death of blacks. But the already absurd "debate"just sunk to a new high in lows. How do you speed up a large, slow, fractured government FEMA response to the greatest natural disaster in modern U.S. times? Black militant and "autor and owner [of] Blacknificent Books" Kamau Kambon has the answer: You kill all white people from the face of the earth.

The video is on YouTube.

****Update****

This is absurd. Needless to say, there were white and black people who were out of house and home after the Katrina Disaster. Dare I also say that relief that did come, came in some large measure by white people. White people as well as black, asian, hispanic, and any other ethnic group that you can mention came out and did carwashes, bake sales, and any other service that you can think of to send relief to the people who needed it be they black or white. This is black racism at it's worst, and if there is any decency left in organizations like Jessie Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, or the NAACP they should come out in the strongest possible terms to denounce this hatemongering by Kambon.
Black conservative organizations like Project 21 should be the on the front line to call this what it is: hate-speech.

I speak now on behalf of myself, and I condemn the words of “Author” Kamau Kambon of Blacknificant Books. I reject his “solution,” as it were, in every way shape and form possible.

****Update Again****

The responses from some YouTube users are already rolling: TipToeChick has some choice words for Kambon. WARNING: Her response is NOT kid-friendly!
You go girl!

THIS IS MY PEACE SYMBOL!

Mike Fumento brings from his visit to Ramadi the best photo that I have seen since some of our troops laid "da smackdown" on John "F'n" Kerry.

Hat Tip: ultra-blogger Michelle Malkin

You can find Mike's site here.

Somebody make me some bumperstickers, quick!

You can never say it enough; Thanks to all our troops in Ramadi, and throughout the rest of Iraq! We support you and the mission.

Consider This

In August 2005, our son had brought his extraneous gear and personal belongings home from Camp Lejeune. He was due to deploy to Anbar Province, Iraq in a few days. We stood under the crucifix in our living room and his father began to read the words of St. Paul.

"...Therefore take up the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and stand in all things perfect....".

With Holy Water from Lourdes, we blessed his head, heart, hands and feet and kissed him gently. He walked out the door onto the front porch and slowly turned around.

Without a word his eyes spoke from his soul. It was beautiful and terrifying to behold. That look will be with me until the end of my days.

On Election Day, November 2006, I stood in a chilly downpour outside a polling precinct in Powhatan, VA handing out literature on behalf of Senator Allen and the Republican ticket. A strong gust of wind had me turn my back to the parking lot.

When it subsided, I turned around and faced those same eyes, that same look for the second time. It was a young man wearing an OIF ballcap. For a moment we said nothing, he just stood there in the rain with those eyes speaking volumes.

And then he said, "Thank you for being out here today." And I tried not to cry and told him it was I who should be thanking him. We spoke a little about his deployments and how important a successful outcome for this election was for the Troops still overseas.

As we spoke, his eyes never left mine and I will carry that look with me to the end of my days.

I will also carry with me the burden of shame that we as a country put these brave Warriors in harms' way and then let them down when they needed us most.

You won't be hearing much about how these men and women feel in the media or on the blogs but believe me, if we did, it would break our collective heart, assuming we had one.

Why Do Americans Win Wars, and Why We Will Win The War On Terror

I wanted to share with you part of a book from the C.B.C. that I am currently reading.
The passage comes from the introduction to the book “America’s Victories; Why The U.S. Wins Wars and Will Win The War on Terror” by Larry Schweikart.

***
“Why do Americans win wars? Even granting that Vietnam was a loss (although the military was never, ever defeated in an actual battle), and Korea was a “tie,” over the course of two hundred years the armed forces of the United States have whipped the British Empire (twice), beaten a Mexican army (against all European expectations), fought a fratricidal civil war that resulted in higher casualties than all previous wars put together (due to the fact that officers and soldiers on both sides were deadly effective), and crushed the Plains Indians with a minimal number of troops. American forces then dispatched the Spanish in less than a year (when, again, most Europeans thought Spain would win), helped the Allies evict the Germans from France, and dominated an international alliance that simultaneously beat the Nazis, Japanese warlords, and Italian fascists. During the Cold War, we battled the North Koreans and their Chinese allies to draw on the Asian mainland, then staved off a Soviet-supported invasion of south Vietnam for more than a decade. After the fall of the USSR, the U.S. military twice decisively crushed the biggest armed force in the Middle East, after which we essentially invited every foreign terrorist in the region to enter Iraq and join the fight. Squeezed in between two victories over Iraq, American forces did what the British and Russians could not do by invading Afghanistan and staying. Mix in with this incredibly impressive record the fact that even before the United States had a large standing army, a handful of Marines and their mercenary allies spanked the Tripolitan pirates; then while still on the road to superpower status, we soundly defeated a Filipino “insurgency”; and for good measure kicked the Cubans out of Grenada in 1982. Probably the most astounding success was that the United States defeated the “superpower” Soviet Union in the Cold War without firing a shot – or releasing a nuclear weapon.

[But] [a]n ironic unintended consequence has arisen form this success. Despite every victory, new military actions are greeted by even greater and more unrealistic predictions of failure from the Left and, more recently, the “mainstream media.” These prophecies are followed by “analysis” of how the triumph isn’t as complete as the public thought, how we are “mismanaging the peace,” or how we are “creating more enemies” by our actions. Inevitably, then, come the exposes of “near catastrophes,” intelligence screwups, troops run amuck, civilian casualties, and Pentagon mispredictions. Naturally, there is no room for context, of how in the last three major wars combined (Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq), the United States lost fewer troops than at Okinawa in World War II. Nor does the media provide any discussion of a “greater good” achieved by military action, and rarely is there offered any sense of the overall competence of the American armed forces. One is left to conclude that our soldiers triumph in spite of themselves, their officers, their government, and even their own culture – that they stumble and bumble along, form victory to victory, in the process abusing prisoners and spawning ever-growing numbers of enemies. There are, in fact, good reasons for America’s victories. One might call them “secrets” of American military success, except they are not hidden and often are so obvious that they are overlooked. The American culture of combat relies on several distinctly American elements[.]

It is impossible to separate these combat characteristics from the causes for which Americans have fought, for the American soldier is a liberator, not a conqueror, and millions of people around the world know it by personal experience. From Kuwait City to Kabul, from Germany to Grenada, a generation of free foreign citizens live every day with the knowledge that their liberty was purchased by the blood of American patriots. Modern-day Marxists demagogue over interventions on behalf of the “sugar interests” or “big oil” Halliburton, or Exxon. The truth is that in most cases, the United States has used its military reluctantly and, in Jefferson’s own words, only after “repeated injuries and usurpations.” Our soldiers fight precisely because they understand the causes for which they are committed – and the stakes. Ulysses Grant, briefly a slave owner himself, who married into a slave-owning family, nevertheless willingly waged war on the South – after reluctantly participating in what he saw as an unjust war with Mexico – because he came to see slavery as an evil that had to be checked militarily[2]. George Patton’s feelings about “the Hun” reflected his view that the dictatorships his men faced were the worst of humanity. Ask any of our soldiers, sailors, airmen or airwomen, or Marines in Iraq why they are fighting, and you will get a remarkably sophisticated, yet unmistakable message. The liberty they purchase for Iraqis there translates directly to our freedom from attack here. [Emphasis added.]”

***
Note: I have added the points that the author made about the "American culture of combat" to he comments section of this post, to keep down the length of the main segment.

Exposed: The Extremist Agenda On YouTube

Glenn Beck's stunning video on Islamo Fascism is now up on YouTube. Video quality is not the greatest but viewable. If you were unable to watch it on CNN the other night, please do it now.

Exposed: The Extremist Agenda

The Ultimate Bush Derangement Syndrome

I guess we can call this the ultimate Bush Derangement Syndrome exercise.

Hat Tip: Drudge

"A renowned black magic practitioner performed a voodoo ritual Thursday to jinx President George W. Bush and his entourage while he was on a brief visit to Indonesia.
Ki Gendeng Pamungkas slit the throat of a goat, a small snake and stabbed a black crow in the chest, stirred their blood with spice and broccoli before drank the "potion" and smeared some on his face.

"I don't hate Americans, but I don't like Bush," said Pamungkas, who believed the ritual would succeed as, "the devil is with me today."

He said the jinx would sent spirits to posses Secret Service personnel guarding Bush and left them in a trance, leading them into falsely thinking the President was under attack, thus eventually causing chaos in Bogor Presidential Palace, where the American leader was scheduled to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday.

Indonesia the world's most populous Muslim country, however many still practicing animist rituals, including black magic, that predate Islam's arrival in the archipelago.

"I am doing voodoo, because other ritual would not work," he told reporters after he conducted the gory ritual about 1 kilometers from the palace. "

For the first time in my life, I am speechless. I guess it speaks for itself.
What, does he have CNN on in his hut?
If nothing else, the left is good at spreading hate. Evidently very good.

Nan and Steny Don't Know Jack Anymore

Hi-Beams on, Nancy Pelosi approaches
the press to announce Jack Murtha's
defeat for the House Majority Leader slot.


Steny Hoyer of Nan's homestate
of Maryland is declared the winner.



This picture of Jack Murtha posted
on behalf of Marines everywhere.


And this one is posted for the Army.
No explanation necessary I'm sure.

Murtha Calls Ethics Bill ‘Total Crap’

Words fail me.

Thank you, Glenn Beck...

…for a powerful prime-time expose of radical Islam and the threat it poses to our very civilization.

“Exposed: The Extremist Agenda” aired this evening on CNN Headline News and opened with video of a mullah in his mosque loudly proclaiming jihad against America and her allies. Other video clips, taken from the mainstream Arab media, featured a three-and-a-half year old girl saying that Jews were “apes and pigs”, children praising martyrs in song, and a sheik instructing parents on how to inculcate their children into the suicide bomber culture.

Brigitte Gabriel, who also spoke on the issue of Islamic extremism at the VCAP conservative convention panel on illegal immigration, was a guest on Beck’s program. She discussed the extremist movement to establish a radical caliphate subject to sharia law. Asked why we as Americans have done nothing to stop this radical and dangerous agenda, Gabriel responded: “Political correctness is killing us.”

Most disturbing were video clips of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, who longs for a day when all will “bow and surrender” to Iran and Islam, spewing his message of hatred in front of a crowd chanting “Death to America”. The parallels between Ahmadinejad and Adolf Hitler did not escape Beck and his guest Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli prime minister. Ahmadinejad is clearly preparing for a second—nuclear—holocaust.

The questions the program poses to us are these:

• Do we have the sense to reject political correctness and identify danger where it exists?
• Do we have the passion for freedom to instill patriotism in our children as Islamic fundamentalists instill hatred in theirs?
• Do we have the will to wage a war if we are attacked, directly or indirectly, by this thread in its ideological and its national sense?
• Do we have the courage to fight our enemy on their soil before they fight us on ours?
• Do we have the resolve to confront our enemies before they destroy us?
• Do we have the moral fortitude to confront evil rather than appease or succumb to it?

UPDATE 11-17-06: Video up on YouTube.com

So What Do You Do With An Enemy That Is Completely Delusional?

So what do you do with an enemy that is completely delusional? That’s the question Israel is probably asking themselves right now.
After the butt-kicking delivered to Hezbollah in Lebanon a few months ago, driving what was left of them back into northern Lebanon, today that “thumpin” is hailed as a great victory for the warriors of Allah.

Hat Tip: LGF.

“The 33-day war ended without any of the goals that had been declared by the Zionist government and the commanders of its military being attained - and this was the first time that Israel was forced to accept its complete downfall...“In the 33-day war, the Lebanese Hizbullah destroyed at least 50% of Israel [and therefore] half the path to the liberation of Jerusalem equals 33 days. Now, only (at most) 50% of the path [to Israel’s destruction] remains. This remaining 50% is easier than the 50% that was already accomplished. Now, in the face of the degree of fear and lack of confidence that has been deeply implanted in [all] parts of the Zionist regime, the Muslim peoples of the region, and particularly the four Arab countries neighboring Palestine [i.e. Israel] - Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon - are full of hope and confidence, and they have no doubt, that they will be able to very quickly overcome the Zionist regime...“According to this description, just as in one 33-day war more than 50% of Israel was destroyed, and the hope of its supporters for the continued life of this regime was broken, it is likely that in the next battle, the second half will also collapse.“On that day... Jordan will not be able to prevent the Jordanian Islamists from operating through the long Jordan-Palestine border, and the millions of Egyptian Islamists... will not let the Sinai-Israel border remain quiet, and the Syrian Golan Heights will not remain as a [mere] observer of the battle. That day is not so far off.”

Maybe I missed the report, but does anyone else remember 50% of Israel being destroyed? Note that Hezbollah is already looking for “the next battle.”
Bring it on, kids. I guess Israel may home experimental weapons they may want to try on you next time, instead of the boring conventional ones they beat you with last time.

Break's Over, Getting Back to Work

Ok, breaktime is over. I took a little time off to spend with the little-one, and ride the Suzuki and look at the changing fall colors along the highway here in V-A. Nothing like it. But, back to business....

FAIR TAX BLOGBURST 11-15-06

by Terry Dillard of The Right Track

Well, the elections are over and I've heard everything from "It's a sure thing" to "No way it'll even make it out of committee now" regarding the FairTax.

One thing I do know -- never underestimate the power of a grassroots movement. Democrats were shown in 1994 not to take their power for granted, and Republicans had that same lesson hammered home to them a week ago. The American people have no hesitation whatsoever about "flushing the toilet" as I prefer to call it.

Whatever your political orientation, it's been amply proven by now that lower taxes produce a stronger economy -- if we can keep spending in check. Giving Americans the ability to choose exactly how much they pay in taxes via the FairTax is a win-win situation for individuals and our government.

I found an interesting blog article that managed to work the FairTax into a post on national security. From "Freedom Is Always the Right Answer", the post is titled "Defeating China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran in the Cold War of Terror". The post begins:

China and Russia are allied and using all the tools at their disposal, including supporting North Korea and Iran, and to a lessor extent Venezuela, to defeat us in a new Cold War of Terror. China and Russia have supplied weapons, diplomatic cover, and economic support to these rogue states to drain American resources, our respect in the international community, and generally create chaos. China is stealing our technological secrets through a coordinated program of traditional intelligence and computer infiltration. China and Russia are threatening our satellites. China constantly threatens our ally, Taiwan. We can use the lessons from the first Cold War to figure out how to win this new one.

The author postulates that winning the war against terror and those who sponsor it -- directly or indirectly, it would seem -- will require the same tactics used by JFK to get the missiles out of Cuba, and by Reagan to defeat the Soviet Union. Part of this, of course, is economic in nature. According to the author's theory:

Once we put China in this position, it won't allow North Korea to be the tail that wags the dog. China will be upset with the U.S., as will the rest of the world who will call us dangerous cowboys, like they did Reagan, but China's only good option would be to work for a nuclear free Korean peninsula. China would suffer the economic pain (no more Kentucky Fried Chicken) of losing the world's greatest consumer as a costumer, plus it would be in the untenable position of being at the mercy of the madman in North Korea. America could get China's support for regime change or some other policy to remove the nukes in North Korea.

America would also suffer economic pain (T-Shirt prices would rise) from these trade restrictions, but domestic policy would limit that pain, and turn it into an advantage. By adopting the FairTax, America would begin to return as a manufacturing juggernaut. Reducing government interference in the free market would assist this process. American products, no longer burdened by the income tax, would compete with Chinese made products on the world market, further enriching America and hurting China/NK. This American growth in manufacturing would drive prices lower to compensate for the price increases from restricted trade with China/NK. This would put pressure on China to democratize. [TD - emphasis added]

But aside from National Security, the FairTax is just a good idea. The Kodiak Daily Mirror came out in favor of it because it is grassroots in nature. You know, "We the people" kind of thinking. In "New Tax Act Gives Power to the People", the Daily Mirror gives its reasons for supporting the FairTax:

A proposed bill, The Fair Tax Act, would change the way our government collects our tax money. It sounds the death toll for the Internal Revenue Service, paycheck withholdings and tax returns. As the replacement, a national sales tax, designed to fund our government at its current rate, would replace our old system. It relieves the burden of an overly complicated tax code as special interests lobby for loopholes.

The national sales tax will be collected on all new goods and services and takes the place of our income withholdings. The system is blind to income levels, yet ensures the basic necessities of life are not taxed through a tax pre-bate system. This prevents the government from dictating what the basic necessities are and affords us the ability to make our own decisions. [TD - emphasis added]

How cool is that? What a novel idea! Letting us make our own decisions! I like it! The Daily Mirror finishes the article by referring to no less a document than our own Declaration of Independence:

As stated so eloquently in our Declaration of Independence, we hold the power, not the government or our elected officials. It is time for a real change offered by the Fair Tax Act to encourage economical growth and investment. It is time to do away with the burdensome taxation system that we detest and political officials use to gain votes.

All I can add to that is a hearty "Amen"!

The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

Thank You Kate!

SWAC Girl has a fine post on Kate Obenshain Griffin who has resigned as Chair of the Republican Party of Virginia.

Kate came on board when RPV had much baggage ... lawsuit issues, financial issues ... but she rolled up her sleeves and plugged away at putting RPV back together again ... and we are now almost out of debt, thanks to Kate's hard work

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Defending the War: Saddam Had It Coming

Ok, Trolls and liberal lurkers. I have kept my promise. Here is; the long-awaited list of my defense of the war on terror. Even from this list there is a lot left out. Writing a simple article turned out to be harder than I thought: there was so much information out there on why Saddam should have been removed from power an article on the subject was fast turning into a book on the subject -- and there are lots of those already out there. Anyway, I don’t want to take time re-hashing this. The information is out there for anyone who is looking for the answers.

Reasons for the conservative to be glad Saddam is gone.
Saddam’s rush to acquire weapons of mass destruction were not the only reason Saddam was removed from power: they were the icing on the cake. Saddam Hussein was a vicious and war-like leader who attacked his neighbors with the intent on destruction and oppression. His unprovoked invasion of Kuwait and threat to Saudi Arabia sparked the Gulf War. His thirst for power, his brutality, and the know WMD cache he had, his connections with terrorists, along with his past history of using WMDs, and his growing political and physical aggression toward the United States, and the west in general, made him a threat to the world – one that had to be dealt with.


Saddam DID have weapons of mass destruction and he has a history of using them. He used them on Iran during its war, and on the Kurds.

Saddam supported and gave safe harbor to know terrorists. Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestine Liberation Front and, among other terrorist acts, was the man most responsible for the death of a wheelchair bound American Jew named Leon Klinghoffer. Klinghoffer was shot in the head and his body dumped overboard during the Achille Lauro high jacking in 1985. Abbas was captured in April of 2003 by coalition forces as he was trying to flee Baghdad where he had been a guest of Saddam since being expelled from Tunisia, and was leading the re-constituted PLF. And don’t forget Abu Nidal, reguarded as “the worlds most ruthless terrorist. “Abu Nidal died of between one and four gunshot wounds in Baghdad in August 2002, believed by Palestinian sources to have been killed on the orders of Saddam Hussein, [9] but said by the Iraqi government to have committed suicide. [10] The Guardian wrote on the news of his death: "He was the patriot turned psychopath. He served only ... the warped personal drives that pushed him into hideous crime. He was the ultimate mercenary." [11]” [sic]
Throw into the mix his suspected terrorist training grounds at Salmon Pak, ALL of the reasons outlined by Colin Powell at the run-up to the war, satellite surveillance photos of truck convoys leaving Iraq just before the war began (including rumors of Russian special forces involvement,) and that members of Saddam’s high-ranking underlings met with high-ranking underlings of Osama’s group, and you have Plenty of reason to want him out of power in our national interest.

There has been no evidence found within the borders of Iraq to suggest that he destroyed any of his stash of VX nerve gas, mustard gas, anthrax, or any of the other chemical agents. No one can take you to the spot they destroyed it (and the Iraqis secret police, were known as meticulous record keepers.)

Saddam DID in fact send representatives to Niger to try and secure yellow-cake uranium,
material which is used in the building of nuclear weapons. It was the investigation of this by Joe Wilson, former Ambassador to Zanadu that turned out to be a wild vacation – I mean goose chase.

Primary to the case against Saddam was the continual games that Saddam played with U.N. weapons inspectors. Most serious was his expelling of weapons inspectors, in direct violation of multiple UN resolutions. In spite of the continual breaking of its resolutions the UN was unwilling to enforce its own resolutions with force. (Indeed a probable cause for UN slothfulness was the payouts to various international leaders in the Oil for Food scam – one of the largest scams in history. This necessitated the unilateral action by the US and it’s allies to prevent Saddam from stalling further while he worked to further develop WMDs.)

While Saddam was in power he was continually in violation of the terms of his surrender at the end of Gulf War I. His regime continually fired on allied planes that were patrolling the border of Northern Iraq to protect the Kurds, launching anti-aircraft missiles and the occasional fighter jet, and bringing troops near the Kurdish border.

When pressured to produce documents detailing the status of his MWD program Saddam pulled the lapdog U.N.s’ chain by releasing a voluminous stack of pages that amounted to little more than recycled lies, as most of the pages were information that he had already released to weapons inspectors and were either known, worthless or debunked.

Saddam actively sought the assassination of a United States President, President George H. W. Bush.

Reasons for the liberals to get with the program.
Saddam murdered thousands of his own people burying their bodies in mass graves throughout Iraq. Political prisoners were tortured and killed in the most horrible of ways.
His idea of interrogation was to make a male prisoner watch while his wife, daughter, or some other female relative was raped in front of him. People who were suspected of betraying Saddam were killed or maimed. One physician recounted stories of having to remove an ear of multiple people Saddam suspected of disloyalty.

His sons ran rampant, violating the civil rights of dozens of people. Killing people who got in the way of what they want, and taking pleasure in the murder and torture of anyone who opposed them. Any woman they ran across and took a fancy to, were fair game be they married, engaged or single.

He destroyed the environment, draining the marshes “to put down a Shiite uprising” thereby almost robbing Iraq of a rich environment heritage: “Saddam diverted waterways and burned down the reedbeds, reducing the 9,000 square kilometers (3,500 square miles) of permanent wetlands in the 1970s to just 760 square kilometers (300 square miles) when the regime was toppled in 2003.” The marsh Arabs living there were nearly wiped out of existence.

In Hussein’s nighttime attack on the Kurds using mustard gas he made no discrimination between women and children, with hundreds dying a horrible death. The only one worse off were the ones who survived now blind, and having multiple serious health conditions, stillborns, birth defects, and the like. Remember your mantra; it’s all about the children.

VCAP's Conservative Convention

The high-powered team at VCAP (Virginia Conservative Action PAC) presented a fabulous Conservative Convention this Saturday, Nov. 11th at the Richmond Convention Center. There were numerous workshops presented by nationally and statewide known pundits, scholars, experts and activists.

Human Events conducted a Presidential Straw Poll. Newt Gingrich won. (He's a good conservative so I think I'll save my snarky remark about "curb appeal" for a later date.)

The evening program was the highlight of the day. VCAP's Robin DeJarnette fired up the troops. Attorney General Bob McDonnell (is he future presidential material or what?) and former Governor Jim Gilmore held everyone's attention and gave excellent speeches.

And then there was Rhonda Winfield. "Delegates" at the convention had spent an entire day rubbing elbows with intellectuals, movers and shakers and politicos. But it was Rhonda who brought it all into focus, who reminded us why we were there, why we must keep up the good fight and why we must not abandon the young men and women who have fought so nobly and selflessly for us.

The entire day was an excellent opportunity to learn and network but without Rhonda Winfeild it would have been just a good convention. With her words and dignity of spirit she made it a real "Come to Jesus" moment for conservatives and patriots.

Like Rhonda, I do not believe our country was indelibly altered on Nov. 7th and like so many of us present on Saturday, will continue to work on behalf of our Troops, our people and Iraqis beginning to realize the freedoms that we so take for granted.

It's not just about Virginia anymore. The election proved that.

DNC Chairman Dean's Back-handed Slam Turns Into An Off-hand Compliment

DNC Chairman Dean’s Back-handed Slam Turns Into An Off-hand Compliment

Hat Tip: Michelle
11/12/2006 8:30 AM

DNC Chairman Howard Dean inadvertently gave an off-hand compliment to black conservatives: He called black conservatives a “problem” and admitted that the white Democrat leadership needs to abide more by their own principle of affirmative action when it comes to candidates for office.

“BALTIMORE - Saying Maryland Democratic leaders must do more to encourage black candidates so "we do not have another Michael Steele problem," Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Thursday criticized the state party's lack of diversity on its recent winning tickets. Speaking at a breakfast meeting in Washington, Dean expressed concern about Steele, Maryland's black, Republican lieutenant governor, who was defeated in his quest to fill a vacated Senate seat in Tuesday's election."I just think we have got to do a better job in Maryland four years from now about diversity on the ticket," Dean said. U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin, who is white, won the state's open Senate seat by defeating Steele. Steele's campaign, focused in part on the idea that Democrats take black voters for granted, included endorsements by black political, business and entertainment leaders and a plea that minority voters send one of their own to Congress.”

So Michael Steele’s candidacy was a problem for them. A black Republican who believes in lower taxes, an end to affirmative action, and less government control, running in a state that is heavily left-wing black Democrats (whom support leans Democrat 90% of the time or more) was a problem for Democrats who believe in the opposite political stances? Wonder what the Dems internal polling on the race is telling them? This a telling message. Are you listening, RNC?

The most stunning revelation comes at the end of the article from Kweisi Mfume who was knocked out of the running for Maryland governor in the Democrat primary by Ben Cardin and feels the Democrat party could have done more to help him:

“ ‘I agree with (Dean), and we're all Democrats who believe more than
anything else that the Democratic Party really holds the best hope for that kind
of racial and gender diversity,’ he said. ‘At the same time it's not enough to
just get people in the process. They really do have to be the right people who
really do care about the communities in this state.’ "

“They have to have the right people, who really do care about the communities…?!”

In other words, black Democrat conservatives need not apply. You aren’t the “right” people, and you don’t really care about communities. This is a party that is open to new ideas?! Same plantation. Same slave master.

So Howard, who are your two black choices for president and vice-president?

Links:
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006343.htm
http://www.examiner.com/a-390791~Dean_criticizes_Maryland_Democrats_on_diversity.html

"Allahu Akbar," Keith Ellison, And The First "Dot."

Allahu Akbar, Keith Ellison, And The First “Dot”

11/12/2006 6:54 AM
The basic question I get on this [“ ‘Allahu Akbar’ Heard As New Democrat Congressman Gives Victory Speech”] seems to be “So what? What’s wrong with them praising God?” Though not an indictment in-and-of-itself, “Allahu Akbar” in this setting is – and should be – a cause of concern for America:
1) It is the rallying cry for those violent jihadist Muslims and their supporters – the same Islamic radical militants that not only America and it’s allies fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the rest of the world struggles with for survival in Africa, South East Asia, Europe, and the continental U.S. As of now we make only the presumption that it was the “moderate, peaceful” Muslims who shouted with joy, and not radicals. It may very well have been radicals. The consequences of being wrong by endorsing the “sunny side” are too dire to ignore.

2) It shows that, without a doubt, there are areas of the U.S. where the support from fellow Muslims and U.S. citizens (Democrats, in this case) is so great that a Muslim can be elected.

3) Now that congressman-elect Ellison’s district has seen an election “first” (first Muslim elected to congress) those trends tend to stay. If Congressman-elect Ellison himself is not sympathetic to the radical jihadist cause, how long before a candidate who IS can be elected there?

4) We as a nation know nothing of Congressman-elect Ellison outside of his conversion to Islam in college, that he is a Democrat, and a professed “politician.” We know nothing of his acquaintances, close ties, or whom he may owe favors/sympathy to. We know nothing of his college connections (favorite recruiting ground for radicals) or current connections to those who we may consider radicals (and you know how much we hate surveillance of radical Muslims and their connections in this country via the Patriot Act.) Congressman-elect Ellison will have access to sensitive information, and with time and politic-ing, be on committees covering military budgets, base closures, financing, homeland security, port security, and – maybe – counter-terrorism efforts.

5) Now that groups like CAIR and the radical Muslim Brotherhood see that it is possible to elect Muslims to federal government office, how tempting will it now be to radical jihadist movements here in the U.S. to field candidates (or have people on the candidates staff) who will be beholden to the radicalist’s view and be willing to supply them with information harmful to us and our way of life. Heck, even Hamas has a “political wing.”

6) Indeed, with CAIR’s own history, their interest in Congressman-elect Ellison should perk up the ears of anyone following homeland security.

Not taking into consideration these facts when noting what some consider to be a small, innocent incident at a victory party, smacks of pre-911 mindset faced away from national security, and may one day constitute a failure to “connect the dots” beginning with the first dot, and you know how the left hates not connecting the dots.

Background on CAIR:
http://www.meforum.org/article/916

Thank You Veterans, For All You Have Done.

Before the day goes by, I wanted to say, again, THANK YOU to ALL OUR VETERANS!

It is the men and women of our armed forces who not only keep and maintain feedom and peace in America, but who put thier lives on the line to bring peace, justice, and aid to other countries as well. You scacrifice time away from family and loved ones in order to answer the call of duty, and we have not forgotten your sacrifices.

"Allahu Akbar!" Heard as New Democrat Congressman Gives Vicory Speach

Conquest not with a gun, but with a ballot?

Supporters of newly elected Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison scream "Allah Akbar" at his victory speech!

Charles at LGF has the video.

Ellison is "the first muslim member of congress" and will be "the first Muslim in congress to speak at a CAIR event" in Virginia, according to a recently release CAIR press release.

I just love the way the news anchors at the FOX 9 affilliate station at the end of the clip try to downplay what happened. This is the Fox everyone seems to think is so conservative?

Why do it? Because It's Just So Easy...

Happy Birthday United States Marine Corps

With all the festivities going on today, I didn't want the day to go by without saying

Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!

Thank you for all you have done to further the safety and security of this country. It is through your blood, sweat, and sacrifice that this country IS and REMAINS a free country.

And thank you to everyone who has worn the uniform and served this country.

We at UNITED CONSERVATIVES OF VIRGINIA SALUTE YOU!

Conservative Convention in Richmond, Saturday, 11-11-06

I don't know about the rest of you but cryin' in my beer gets old after a couple of days.

A better alternative is to attend the Virginia Conservative Action PAC's Convention this Saturday.

Details are on the website: VA Conservative Convention.

There are a slew of workshops featuring the best and brightest of Virginia conservatives.

One that is on my "must attend" list is this one:

What Role does the Internet, Media/Blogs Play in Elections?

Moderator: Robert Bluey, Human Events
Speakers: Eric Erickson, Red State
Shaun Kenney, Virginia Blogger
Lief Larson, Jamestown Associates
Jon Henke, Allen HQ
Patrick Hynes, Straight Talk America
Robert Minter, Author & Terrorism Expert

See what I mean?

Did I mention Veterans get in free?

There will also be a very special program from 7pm to 9pm including a tribute to our Troops. Rhonda Winfield, Gold Star Mom, will be among the speakers which include Virginia's most prominent conservative elected officials.

And you really, really need to be there for the surprise keynote speaker. (Think "strategery".)

Once again, details at the website. Be there or be square.

This Is What The Incoming Democrats Think Of You

Listen up America! If this is the party that you elected to be in charge to “send a message” to the Republicans, then here is a message from the Democrats to you:

Democrat Charles Rangel says “Who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?”

I would respond with “Who the hell wants to be a Democrat?”




Courtesy: Michelle Malkin

Post-Election Virginia Blog Carnival

Kilo at Spark It Up has the post-election edition of the Virginia Blog Carnival up. There is some really good commentary linked. Take a gander.

Ahhh, The French...

I feel a little guilty laughing at this as their military probably harbors the last vestiges of French manhood. But really...

From the BBC:

French Nearly Fired At Israelis
"It is a miracle that nothing serious happened, because there could have been a response on the part of French troops..."
Philippe Douste-Blazy
French foreign minister

...A Red Day, A Sore Day, And Then The Sun Rises!"

Good Morning Conservatives!

So, the Republicans lost the House and are still in a position to maybe lose the Senate. As a person with a competitive streak who likes to win far more than to lose, I would have liked to see things go the other way. However, there are opportunities here.

We are going to get a ring-side seat for the 2007 Liberal Follies. The Democrats are now in control of the House with “Speaker” Pelosi in control of the gavel. Nothing is funnier, or more illustrative of why conservative principles and values work than watching liberals fail trying to govern with liberal policies and values.

There are lots of theories about why the election went the way that it did yesterday. Some sound fairly plausible, others don’t. A likely reason – which I have not heard offered anywhere else - is that almost an entire generation has passed since the Democrats were fully in power, much less in control of the legislative branch.
You would be hard-pressed to find anyone under the age of thirty-five who could tell you who Tip O’Neil is, much less what he stood for. Go not as far back in your mind’s eye to early 1990’s when Democrats controlled all levels of the federal government. Do you remember the antics of the Democrats then? Lots of people don’t. So, when you tell them what it will be like for them and their family to live under the legislative yoke of Democrat tax increases to fund ever-expanding -- and ever-failing -- social programs, they have no concept of it. But they will get a glimpse soon.

The incoming Democratic house members have made no secret of their desire to not only sunset the Bush tax cuts, but to increase many fees and taxes on the working class for the “common good.” You will see a minimum wage fight, unions rise up and demand more from workers, and a rapid expansion of social programs. You will see calls for increasing Social Security (even though Dems campaigned on the high cost of the prescription drugs program added by Bush the-younger.) A renewed call for “universal health care” and enough global warming hot air to melt the polar ice cap. This is all good for the conservative cause.

While the American people feel the bite of living under liberalism, the conservatives can go “back to formula” by honing their conservative message, while pointing to new examples of “Liberals Gone-Wild.” We can find and hone new leadership who has the brashness and dedication to advancing conservativism as did those incoming freshmen citizen legislators of the 1994 revolution. Conservatives can go on safari and hunt down and remove the R.I.N.O.s who hide in the brush of the Republican Party. They can craft a new vision for America in clear, Contract With America-style, and when they next engage their Democrat foes – next time with the presidency in the balance – they can face them with stronger armor.

So we have a lot to do. Certainly no time to play footsie with a gloating media. The last Democratic upswing proved to be one of the shortest rules in American government history. If we don’t get discouraged and work hard at being what we are – conservatives – we will return again, and have the Democratic Party take another 12-year governmental sabbatical.

Allen and the War on Terror

Since so many posters have made reference to the War on Terror (WOT), why not read what Senator Allen himself has said about the WOT in his own words:



Winning the War on Terror

The defense of this nation and its citizens is the primary responsibility of the federal government. I believe America must persevere in our important mission in the War on Terror to spread peace through liberty. In my view, the resolve of the American people and our many allies to preserve our free and just societies in this fight against terrorism is infinitely stronger than the resolve of murderous, hate-filled terrorists. The War on Terror is a fight against vile extremists who want to destroy our way of life. It will be a difficult struggle, but I believe we are winning and we will ultimately prevail.

Already, we’ve seen democratic elections in a newly free Afghanistan; and recently there have been hopeful signs of progress in Egypt, Lebanon and Libya. I believe these are all examples of success in the War on Terror.

In Iraq, I believe our troops have done a tremendous job helping Iraqis begin to build a free society in a country formerly ruled by an oppressive, terrorist-friendly dictatorship. The notion of immediately withdrawing our military from Iraq would be forfeiting to the terrorists and I disagree strongly with those who suggest that we should leave precipitously. Right now historic progress is taking place as the vast majority of the Iraqi people have taken part in free elections. I believe we must stand with our troops as they continue their difficult but vital mission to help the tree of liberty take root in Iraq. And I feel certain that when our Iraqi friends are able to stand up, our brave men and women in uniform will be able to stand down and come back home as genuine heroes with satisfaction.
[Emphasis added]

Taken from Senator Allen's Senate web site.

George and Susan Allen: Grace Under Fire

Photos from Vienna, Va. this morning. Webb supporters, including Cindy Sheehan and her sister shoved themselves into the Allen group in an attempt to deny Sen. Allen a chance to speak. Way to go Webbites.


Rhonda Winfield, mother of a fallen Marine,
stands with Sen. George Allen


Cindy Sheehan, moonbat in chief. Webb campaigners
present and accounted for. Code Pink reporting
for action (you know, the ones who protest outside
of Walter Reed Army Medical Center every week).


I don't understand why Jim Webb(X) and his
campaign thought intruding on Sen. Allen was
cool. Is it their idea of a joke? Pretty sad if you ask me.


Believe it or not, the woman holding the sign is
Cindy Sheehan's sister. Heh.


The Webbites move in pushing and shouting.
After all, the media belongs to them, dontcha know.


Grace under fire. Susan and George Allen.

If you like Cindy Sheehan, you'll love Goober Webb!

Cindy Sheehan floated to the surface of the cesspool with her entourage in order to campaign for U.S. Senate candidate Jim Webb (X) today. Like brown shirt wannabees worldwide, Cindy and friends attempted to disrupt an event Sen. George Allen was staging in Vienna, VA. Story here.

SwacGirl was on scene and will be posting updates.

Hat tip to:RightsideVA
FreeRepublic.com for the headline which I stole from Freeper Sal.

Allen (R) 49%, Webb (X) 46%

Republican Sen. George Allen leads Jim Webb in Virginia and Republican Bob Corker leads Harold Ford in Tennessee by identical 49%-46% margins.

USA Today 11-06-06

Election Eve 11-06-06

Stand The Storm! It Won't Be Long!

I Know There's A Dirty Joke Here Somewhere

Click pic for full effect

Front page of RTD 11-05-06

Dumb Quote Of The Day: Gov. Tim Kaine

I am not making this up. From the Sunday edition of the RTD, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia speaking about Jim Webb (X):

"They deserve leaders who are worthy of the sacrifice they are making, and we have to put a leader in the Senate who is worthy of sacrifice," Kaine said.

??? Good grief will someone give that man the correct job description for the position of United States Senator!

On the other hand, I can't think of too many Democrat/ic politicans I wouldn't be willing to sacrifice at this point in time.

Strong Senate - Strong Judges (video)

Right on the Right has created an excellent video that should motivate conservatives to get to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 7th.

The video this 16 year old in Ohio produced gives us Virginians another good reason to vote for Sen. George Allen.

Hat Tip: FreeRepublic.com

Before You Vote Virginia...

RUMMY ROCKS!

What can I say? I love this guy.

The American Spirit Lives In Families Of Fallen Warriors

A group of American families who have lost loved ones in Iraq have arrived there to tell the Troops that America supports them, loves them and believes in their mission!
Please read the whole article and join me in thanking God for raising up such good people.

Gold Star Father Joseph Williams echoed her words. “If we cut and run from Iraq, that will deal a devastating blow to the war against terrorism. Will any terrorist group ever fear us again, or will they know that they need only outlast us,” Williams said.

The group plans to meet with U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, as well as talking to the Iraqi people and asking them what message they would like to have delivered to the American public. They also expressed an interest in meeting with Iraqi government officials, although they say that no such meetings have yet been formalized.

They also said they will be speaking to international news agencies, especially American-based news organizations.

Their message to the media and the American public:

“Our success in Iraq depends on the spirit and high moral of those with boots on the ground. There are only two directions to drive a war, victory or defeat. Our victory will come with a positive message from home and Americans who support our continued freedom,” said Gold Star Mother, Debra Argel.

In an emotional message recorded by Gold Star Father John Holley, Mr. Holley broke down in tears when he explained:

“I’m here because I want to visit with the troops and let them know that it’s OK… it’s OK when they lose a friend… and to give ‘em a hug… and still let them know that we care about them, and that we support them 100%.”

Hat Tip: FreeRepublic.com

Irey, Murtha, Webb (X)

The Diana Irey Fight Song is online!

Irey has taken on John Murtha (D) in Pennsylvania's 12th. You know him. He's the one who calls Marines "cold blooded killers".



Murtha and Jim Webb (X) greatly admire each other. In fact Jim Webb (X) has this to say about his buddy, "Jack":

"I have known and respected Jack Murtha for nearly thirty years," said Webb. "He is a true patriot, whose service and judgment was wrongly criticized by this Administration as soon as he began speaking the truth about Iraq. It will be a pleasure to join Congressman Murtha on Capitol Hill so that we can begin to re-shape America's national security agenda."

It seems Jim doesn't know Jack after all.