Saturday, June 25, 2005
Power Line: Where Will It End?
Power Line: Where Will It End?: "The hate, that is. Victor Davis Hanson recapitulates the liberals' hate campaign against President Bush, ranging from Charlie Rangel ('This is just as bad as the 6 million Jews being killed') to John Glenn ('It's the old Hitler business') to Amnesty International. Like us, Hanson worries about where all this will lead:
As a result, the bar is lowering. In today's climate, Alfred Knopf has already published a novel about killing the president. Charlie Brooker writing in the Guardian in London prayed for another Lee Harvey Oswald to take out George W. Bush. Comedians, New York plays and art exhibits also bandy about assassination.
Each time a public official evokes Hitler to demonize the president, the American effort in Iraq or its conservative supporters, cheap rhetorical fantasy becomes only that much closer to a nightmarish reality where the unstable, here and abroad, act on the belief America really is Hitler's Germany.
We will all soon reap what the ignorant are now sowing.
Let's hope that somber prophecy doesn't prove true. Michelle Malkin notes more evidence of the same phenomenon. She links to the Huffington Post, where, in response to a rumor that Vice-President Cheney was hospitalized in Colorado, Democratic commenters openly wish for Chency's death, much as some (to be fair, not all) liberals recently cheered for conservative commentator Laura Ingraham to die of breast cancer.
It's not a pretty picture. Meanwhile, to put all of this in perspective, Gateway Pundit has a good roundup of developments in the trial, in Jordan, of 13 al Qaeda terrorists for plotting to perpetrate the worst chemical weapons attack in history. (We most recently commented on the Jordan trial in 'Pay No Attention to the Terrorists Behind the Curtain'.)
The Jordan trial is significant in part because it shows what an important base for al Qaeda-directed terrorism Saddam's Iraq was. But this is of little interest to the left; as best I can tell from a site search, readers of the New York Times don't even know the Jordan trial is going on. Liberals are convinced they know who their enemies are, and they're not talking about the al Qaeda terrorists who, directed from Iraq, schemed to kill tens of thousands of Jordanians and Americans."
Here!
As a result, the bar is lowering. In today's climate, Alfred Knopf has already published a novel about killing the president. Charlie Brooker writing in the Guardian in London prayed for another Lee Harvey Oswald to take out George W. Bush. Comedians, New York plays and art exhibits also bandy about assassination.
Each time a public official evokes Hitler to demonize the president, the American effort in Iraq or its conservative supporters, cheap rhetorical fantasy becomes only that much closer to a nightmarish reality where the unstable, here and abroad, act on the belief America really is Hitler's Germany.
We will all soon reap what the ignorant are now sowing.
Let's hope that somber prophecy doesn't prove true. Michelle Malkin notes more evidence of the same phenomenon. She links to the Huffington Post, where, in response to a rumor that Vice-President Cheney was hospitalized in Colorado, Democratic commenters openly wish for Chency's death, much as some (to be fair, not all) liberals recently cheered for conservative commentator Laura Ingraham to die of breast cancer.
It's not a pretty picture. Meanwhile, to put all of this in perspective, Gateway Pundit has a good roundup of developments in the trial, in Jordan, of 13 al Qaeda terrorists for plotting to perpetrate the worst chemical weapons attack in history. (We most recently commented on the Jordan trial in 'Pay No Attention to the Terrorists Behind the Curtain'.)
The Jordan trial is significant in part because it shows what an important base for al Qaeda-directed terrorism Saddam's Iraq was. But this is of little interest to the left; as best I can tell from a site search, readers of the New York Times don't even know the Jordan trial is going on. Liberals are convinced they know who their enemies are, and they're not talking about the al Qaeda terrorists who, directed from Iraq, schemed to kill tens of thousands of Jordanians and Americans."
Here!
Friday, June 24, 2005
Los Angeles Times: Why the Rebels Will Lose
Los Angeles Times: Why the Rebels Will Lose: "June 23, 2005
No wonder public support for the war is plummeting and finger-to-the-wind politicians are heading for the exits: All the headlines out of Iraq recently have been about the rebels' reign of terror. But, lest we build up the enemy into 10-foot-tall supermen, it's important to realize how weak they actually are. Most of the conditions that existed in previous wars won by guerrillas, from Algeria in the 1950s to Afghanistan in the 1980s, aren't present in Iraq.
The rebels lack a unifying organization, ideology and leader. There is no Iraqi Ho Chi Minh, Fidel Castro or Mao Tse-tung. The top militant is Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian who has alienated most of the Iraqi population, even many Sunnis, with his indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Read More
Support for the insurgency is confined to a minority within a minority —"
No wonder public support for the war is plummeting and finger-to-the-wind politicians are heading for the exits: All the headlines out of Iraq recently have been about the rebels' reign of terror. But, lest we build up the enemy into 10-foot-tall supermen, it's important to realize how weak they actually are. Most of the conditions that existed in previous wars won by guerrillas, from Algeria in the 1950s to Afghanistan in the 1980s, aren't present in Iraq.
The rebels lack a unifying organization, ideology and leader. There is no Iraqi Ho Chi Minh, Fidel Castro or Mao Tse-tung. The top militant is Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian who has alienated most of the Iraqi population, even many Sunnis, with his indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Read More
Support for the insurgency is confined to a minority within a minority —"
Thursday, June 23, 2005
The American Enterprise: The War is Over, and We Won
The American Enterprise: The War is Over, and We Won: "
The War is Over, and We Won
By Karl Zinsmeister
Your editor returned to Iraq in April and May of 2005 for another embedded period of reporting. I could immediately see improvements compared to my earlier extended tours during 2003 and 2004. The Iraqi security forces, for example, are vastly more competent, and in some cases quite inspiring. Baghdad is now choked with traffic. Cell phones have spread like wildfire. And satellite TV dishes sprout from even the most humble mud hovels in the countryside." Fullpage
The War is Over, and We Won
By Karl Zinsmeister
Your editor returned to Iraq in April and May of 2005 for another embedded period of reporting. I could immediately see improvements compared to my earlier extended tours during 2003 and 2004. The Iraqi security forces, for example, are vastly more competent, and in some cases quite inspiring. Baghdad is now choked with traffic. Cell phones have spread like wildfire. And satellite TV dishes sprout from even the most humble mud hovels in the countryside." Fullpage
The American Enterprise: The War is Over, and We Won
The American Enterprise: The War is Over, and We Won: "Your editor returned to Iraq in April and May of 2005 for another embedded period of reporting. I could immediately see improvements compared to my earlier extended tours during 2003 and 2004. The Iraqi security forces, for example, are vastly more competent, and in some cases quite inspiring. Baghdad is now choked with traffic. Cell phones have spread like wildfire. And satellite TV dishes sprout from even the most humble mud hovels in the countryside." See here!
Terrorists or Insurgencists
A Western Heart: "I know the media doesn't use the word 'terrorists', and instead prefers 'insurgency', but here's a NYT piece on the terrorists with some interesting news:
U.S. marines watching the skyline from their second-story perch in an abandoned house here saw a curious thing: In the distance, mortar rounds and gunfire popped, but the volleys did not seem to be aimed at them.
In the dark, one marine spoke in hushed code words on a radio, and after a minute found the answer. 'Red on red,' he said late Sunday night, using a military term for enemy-on-enemy fire."
Read it here
U.S. marines watching the skyline from their second-story perch in an abandoned house here saw a curious thing: In the distance, mortar rounds and gunfire popped, but the volleys did not seem to be aimed at them.
In the dark, one marine spoke in hushed code words on a radio, and after a minute found the answer. 'Red on red,' he said late Sunday night, using a military term for enemy-on-enemy fire."
Read it here
The American Thinker
The American Thinker: "Will the Republicans we elected please stand up
June 21st, 2005
I voted for our current president twice for one fundamental reason: he exhibited the unique, personal leadership characteristics, I believed our country needed the first time he ran and continues to need today. He looked at a situation, sized it up, made a decision, told you what he was going to do and then…he did it.
His propensity to deliver on promises made some inside the beltway very uncomfortable, I am sure.
As I look at where we are as a country today, I see some alarming parallels between the behavior of some elected officials during the Vietnam War and some elected officials now. Perhaps you do as well. " . . .Read here
June 21st, 2005
I voted for our current president twice for one fundamental reason: he exhibited the unique, personal leadership characteristics, I believed our country needed the first time he ran and continues to need today. He looked at a situation, sized it up, made a decision, told you what he was going to do and then…he did it.
His propensity to deliver on promises made some inside the beltway very uncomfortable, I am sure.
As I look at where we are as a country today, I see some alarming parallels between the behavior of some elected officials during the Vietnam War and some elected officials now. Perhaps you do as well. " . . .Read here
Monday, June 20, 2005
Power Line: The Real Thing
Power Line: The Real Thing: "The Real Thing
Marines in western Iraq made a sobering discovery yesterday that highlights the folly of those who decry 'torture' at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo Bay:
Marines on an operation to eliminate insurgents that began Friday broke through the outside wall of a building in this small rural village to find a torture center equipped with electric wires, a noose, handcuffs, a 574-page jihad manual - and four beaten and shackled Iraqis.
One way you can distinguish a real torture center from an American detention facility is that in the real thing, people keep dying:
'They kill somebody every day,' said Mr. Fathil, whose hands were so swollen he could not open a can of Coke offered to him by a marine. 'They've killed a lot of people.'
***
His town has always been a good place, he said, but the militants have made it hell.
'These few are destroying it,' he said, his face streaked with tears. 'Everybody they take, they kill. It's on a daily basis pretty much.'
What do you think; do you suppose we need a lot more news stories about how a guard at Gitmo accidentally touched a Koran?
The liberals' public relations campaign against the American military and the Bush administration, based on the overblown Abu Ghraib story and the bogus Guantanamo Bay story, is a disgrace.
UPDATE: A reader pointed out that I forgot to include the link, which I've added."
Marines in western Iraq made a sobering discovery yesterday that highlights the folly of those who decry 'torture' at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo Bay:
Marines on an operation to eliminate insurgents that began Friday broke through the outside wall of a building in this small rural village to find a torture center equipped with electric wires, a noose, handcuffs, a 574-page jihad manual - and four beaten and shackled Iraqis.
One way you can distinguish a real torture center from an American detention facility is that in the real thing, people keep dying:
'They kill somebody every day,' said Mr. Fathil, whose hands were so swollen he could not open a can of Coke offered to him by a marine. 'They've killed a lot of people.'
***
His town has always been a good place, he said, but the militants have made it hell.
'These few are destroying it,' he said, his face streaked with tears. 'Everybody they take, they kill. It's on a daily basis pretty much.'
What do you think; do you suppose we need a lot more news stories about how a guard at Gitmo accidentally touched a Koran?
The liberals' public relations campaign against the American military and the Bush administration, based on the overblown Abu Ghraib story and the bogus Guantanamo Bay story, is a disgrace.
UPDATE: A reader pointed out that I forgot to include the link, which I've added."
Truck drivers find Iraq comfortable, rewarding
Truck drivers find Iraq comfortable, rewardingTruck drivers find Iraq comfortable, rewarding
Associated Press
LYONS - When he signed on for a one-year tour of duty as a truck driver in Iraq, Dean Battershell was looking at the paycheck.
He thought he might be living with heat, scorpions, and sleeping in a tent with a dirt floor. But that hasn't been the case.
Besides the money being "good," Battershell said he's sold on the job, and making plans for extending his time. He has been in Iraq four months. He came home for a visit recently.
"Five years ago, I would have never dreamed of anything like this," he said. "But when it's over we'll have a little money in the bank, and I can say for myself, 'We did our part.' "
Kathy Lines, whose husband, Randy Lines, is working with Battershell in Iraq, agreed.
The two men, good friends and fishing buddies, signed up together. Lines has driven trucks for 19 years and Battershell for 3 ½.
They headed for Iraq in early February. Battershell is returning for a second four-month tour in June. Lines is slated to be home for a visit in early July.
"He'll stay for the full year. He's not afraid," Kathy Lines said. "The food's good. He likes the people, and he's made tons of friends from a lot of nations."
Dressed in blue jeans and a plaid shirt, Battershell sat beside Lines in the back room of his dad's business, Earl's Upholstery, on the north side of the Rice County Courthouse square.
In addition to the "good chow," he's assigned to an air-conditioned 9-by-12 room outfitted with a single bed. Other amenities include a private bathroom and a PX shopping area with a movie theater, a weight room and a library. He doesn't need money, except for gifts or pocket change. His checks are direct-deposited in the United States.
Battershell spends his days behind the wheel of a cab-over truck pulling a flatbed trailer. It's loaded mostly with shipping cartons and headed for different bases. Hauling time depends on the load, from 2 ½ hours up. Lines is driving "reefers," refrigerated semis loaded with perishables.
"We go all the way south to Kuwait and north of Baghdad, east and west, close to the Iranian border," he said.
The trucks travel in convoys of 10 to 13 rigs.
While "things happen," Battershell said, he's not afraid.
"We get hit every once in a while, but it's a rarity anymore, not an everyday occurrence," he said. "I go outside the wire not expecting any problems."
As he rocked back and forth in a well-worn office chair, Battershell talked about what he's seen and the opinions he's formed about the politics of war.
The body count's the big news. Losing even one military life is bad. But what people aren't hearing is of the thousands of people on the street whose lives have been saved and turned around, he said. Life's better.
There are long lines of Iraqis joining the military and police, and kids are back in school, he said. The primary coalition goal is to see the infrastructure up and going, bridges fixed and oil back online, he said.
"Even before the war, the infrastructure was shot," Battershell said.
Holding a photo album of snapshots, Lines joined in describing the life. She and her husband talk daily by telephone.
"It's 113 degrees there right now," she said.
Morale is good, with the coalition forces, truckers and laborers from around the world getting along great with one another. There are times he's lonely, Battershell said. But when he was stateside sometimes he was away from home for as long as two weeks.
While both men have been in the line of fire and day-to-day it's dangerous, they're not afraid, Battershell said, noting he's felt danger in other places, too, like going down the highway in Chicago or southern Los Angeles.
On his return this week, Battershell's ride from the airport to the company base will be in a "hard car" -- an armored SUV with 2 ½-inch glass -- or riding in the back of a truck.
He's become aware of culture differences between Iraqis and Westerners, with worshippers stopping five times daily for prayer and some farmers hauling sheep and goats in the back seat of their pickup truck while their wives ride in the truck bed.
"I was never pro-war, but I am pro what we're doing," he said. "It's not what you see on TV. We've saved a lot of lives by going in and getting that guy, Saddam. When we first took over, the people didn't understand what freedom is."
Associated Press
LYONS - When he signed on for a one-year tour of duty as a truck driver in Iraq, Dean Battershell was looking at the paycheck.
He thought he might be living with heat, scorpions, and sleeping in a tent with a dirt floor. But that hasn't been the case.
Besides the money being "good," Battershell said he's sold on the job, and making plans for extending his time. He has been in Iraq four months. He came home for a visit recently.
"Five years ago, I would have never dreamed of anything like this," he said. "But when it's over we'll have a little money in the bank, and I can say for myself, 'We did our part.' "
Kathy Lines, whose husband, Randy Lines, is working with Battershell in Iraq, agreed.
The two men, good friends and fishing buddies, signed up together. Lines has driven trucks for 19 years and Battershell for 3 ½.
They headed for Iraq in early February. Battershell is returning for a second four-month tour in June. Lines is slated to be home for a visit in early July.
"He'll stay for the full year. He's not afraid," Kathy Lines said. "The food's good. He likes the people, and he's made tons of friends from a lot of nations."
Dressed in blue jeans and a plaid shirt, Battershell sat beside Lines in the back room of his dad's business, Earl's Upholstery, on the north side of the Rice County Courthouse square.
In addition to the "good chow," he's assigned to an air-conditioned 9-by-12 room outfitted with a single bed. Other amenities include a private bathroom and a PX shopping area with a movie theater, a weight room and a library. He doesn't need money, except for gifts or pocket change. His checks are direct-deposited in the United States.
Battershell spends his days behind the wheel of a cab-over truck pulling a flatbed trailer. It's loaded mostly with shipping cartons and headed for different bases. Hauling time depends on the load, from 2 ½ hours up. Lines is driving "reefers," refrigerated semis loaded with perishables.
"We go all the way south to Kuwait and north of Baghdad, east and west, close to the Iranian border," he said.
The trucks travel in convoys of 10 to 13 rigs.
While "things happen," Battershell said, he's not afraid.
"We get hit every once in a while, but it's a rarity anymore, not an everyday occurrence," he said. "I go outside the wire not expecting any problems."
As he rocked back and forth in a well-worn office chair, Battershell talked about what he's seen and the opinions he's formed about the politics of war.
The body count's the big news. Losing even one military life is bad. But what people aren't hearing is of the thousands of people on the street whose lives have been saved and turned around, he said. Life's better.
There are long lines of Iraqis joining the military and police, and kids are back in school, he said. The primary coalition goal is to see the infrastructure up and going, bridges fixed and oil back online, he said.
"Even before the war, the infrastructure was shot," Battershell said.
Holding a photo album of snapshots, Lines joined in describing the life. She and her husband talk daily by telephone.
"It's 113 degrees there right now," she said.
Morale is good, with the coalition forces, truckers and laborers from around the world getting along great with one another. There are times he's lonely, Battershell said. But when he was stateside sometimes he was away from home for as long as two weeks.
While both men have been in the line of fire and day-to-day it's dangerous, they're not afraid, Battershell said, noting he's felt danger in other places, too, like going down the highway in Chicago or southern Los Angeles.
On his return this week, Battershell's ride from the airport to the company base will be in a "hard car" -- an armored SUV with 2 ½-inch glass -- or riding in the back of a truck.
He's become aware of culture differences between Iraqis and Westerners, with worshippers stopping five times daily for prayer and some farmers hauling sheep and goats in the back seat of their pickup truck while their wives ride in the truck bed.
"I was never pro-war, but I am pro what we're doing," he said. "It's not what you see on TV. We've saved a lot of lives by going in and getting that guy, Saddam. When we first took over, the people didn't understand what freedom is."
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