WorldNetDaily: The ultimate tragedyThe ultimate tragedy
Posted: January 13, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Hal Lindsey
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
The sheer enormity and scope of the Sumatra earthquake-tsunami catastrophe has dominated the thinking of people worldwide. It has caused almost everyone to confront the ultimate reality of the "fragility of life."
At least 150,000 lives were suddenly snuffed out. A shocking percentage of them were under the age of 12-years-old. This disaster has forced nearly everyone to confront the uncomfortable issue of sudden and unexpected death.
Yet there is one thing in life we must all face – we are all going to die. We may hurl charges against God that He has unfairly allowed such catastrophe to snuff out the lives of so many young people. But, in the end, death is a certainty to us all.
Because most people today act as though this life is all there is, death is viewed as the ultimate tragedy. Especially if those who die didn't have a chance "to get the most out of this life." To them, death is the ultimate tragedy that is to be avoided at all costs for as long as possible.
Interestingly, people who normally do not believe in God nevertheless pour out outrage at God for allowing such "unjust tragedy" to happen. God is brought in to blame when convenient. In one-way or another, most the world charges "Why does God allow such horrible things to happen to good people?"
In view of all this, I am going to present God's perspective to this question from the Bible.
First, God declares that He created all men to live forever. But because of mankind's rebellion against Him, man now has two destinations in eternity. Every person who does not restore his relationship with God will spend eternity away from God in a place of isolation, torment and outer darkness. This consequence is so great that God Himself stepped out of eternity into time in the person of Jesus Christ in order pay our penalty for rebellion. On that basis, God offers each person who will receive it a free gift of pardon and eternity with Him.
The most familiar verses in the Bible are based on this reality:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
– John 3:16-19
You see, from God's perspective the ultimate tragedy is not the timing or nature of your death. The ultimate tragedy is for you to die without resolving where you will spend eternity.
Now I know that this is not a popular idea for the world to confront. But truth is truth no matter how much man chooses to deceive himself about it.
Second, when you look at life from the perspective of eternity, what may be considered a tragedy to the world may not be so at all. God says this world is only a preparation for eternity. Therefore if a person dies suddenly at a young age, it may be a blessing rather than a curse.
The Bible teaches that if a person dies before the age of accountability, he is automatically covered by the atonement of Jesus Christ because he didn't have the ability to make a decision. There are many people in Heaven from the tsunami that wouldn't have been if they had lived out their lives.
In great catastrophe, true believers in Jesus Christ are killed along with those who are not. However this is not a tragedy to the believer. God says, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." (Psalm 116:15)
To the world, such a statement is incomprehensible. But the Bible teaches that every believer is a saint in the eyes of God. The word in its original language means "one set apart as God's possession." So when he dies, it is a homecoming. All pain, sorrows and tears are over. God says:
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord – for we walk by faith, not by sight – we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home [literally, "face to face"] with the Lord.
– 2 Corinthians 5:6-8
Third, the one who understands life in view of eternity lives with a different purpose. He realizes that there is no guarantee on the length and condition of this life. He agrees with God's assessment:
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills ... we will live and also do this or that."
– James 4:14-15
Each one of us is blazing a vapor trail across the sky of time. God tells us that the only things we can take with us into eternity are the good things we do for others out of thanksgiving to God. God will remember all of our acts of kindness we do by faith in Him – and He will reward us for them.
Such catastrophes as the Sumatran earthquake-tsunami should be viewed with humility and compassion. Apart from God's intervening grace, we could all fall victims to "natural disasters." The Bible teaches that such catastrophes are the result of an Earth that is living under a curse resulting from man's fall.
We live in "Cosmos Diabolicus." The Bible says, "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the Evil One." Jesus warned that Satan is "The Ruler of this world." (John 5:19 and John 14:30)
The book of Job reveals that Satan has the authority and power to unleash great "natural disasters." Jesus also warned that as the time for His return draws near, natural catastrophes would increase in frequency and destructive power. He particularly mentioned great earthquakes and paralyzing fear because of the "roaring of the waves of the sea." We live in the time of these signs that Jesus called "birth pains."
Therefore the greatest priority is to win as many people to faith in Christ as possible and to grow in faith so as to be able to face the crises that surely are coming. The time is at hand. Make sure that you have accepted God's free gift of pardon through Christ's death in your place. Pray right now and receive Him. Tell Him you want Him to come in and change your life to His will. Your eternal destiny depends upon your decision. If you miss it, that will be the ultimate tragedy.
Hal Lindsey is the best-selling author of 20 books, including "Late Great Planet Earth." He writes this weekly column exclusively for WorldNetDaily.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Friday, January 21, 2005
Mudville Gazette
Mudville Gazette: "The Washington Post:
An overwhelming majority of Iraqis continue to say they intend to vote on Jan. 30 even as insurgents press attacks aimed at rendering the elections a failure, according to a new public opinion survey. The poll, conducted in late December and early January for the International Republican Institute, found 80 percent of respondents saying they were likely to vote, a rate that has held roughly steady for months.
'Despite the efforts of the terrorists, Iraqis remain committed to casting their vote on election day,' IRI President Lorne Craner said in a statement. The organization, which is funded by Congress through the National Endowment for Democracy and the U.S. Agency for International Development, commissioned the poll, which surveyed 1,900 Iraqis in all but two of the country's 18 provinces. Poor security made two in the far north, Nineveh and Dohuk, inaccessible. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points."
An overwhelming majority of Iraqis continue to say they intend to vote on Jan. 30 even as insurgents press attacks aimed at rendering the elections a failure, according to a new public opinion survey. The poll, conducted in late December and early January for the International Republican Institute, found 80 percent of respondents saying they were likely to vote, a rate that has held roughly steady for months.
'Despite the efforts of the terrorists, Iraqis remain committed to casting their vote on election day,' IRI President Lorne Craner said in a statement. The organization, which is funded by Congress through the National Endowment for Democracy and the U.S. Agency for International Development, commissioned the poll, which surveyed 1,900 Iraqis in all but two of the country's 18 provinces. Poor security made two in the far north, Nineveh and Dohuk, inaccessible. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points."
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
80 MM Christians in China?
Christianity Today, Week of February 16
The Dick Staub Interview: China's Christian Syndrome
David Aikman, author of Jesus in Beijing, says in 20 years Christians could have a major impact on China, and that could change the world.
posted 02/18/2004
David Aikman is former senior correspondent and bureau chief in Eastern Europe and Beijing for Time Magazine. His latest book is Jesus in Beijing, which discusses the rise of Christianity in China and what a Christian China might mean for global Christianity and world politics. Aikman is chairman and founder of Gegrapha, a fellowship of Christian journalists, and he contributes regularly to the to the American Spectator and the Weekly Standard.
Talk about how things have changed so dramatically since you were a bureau chief.
When I was in China in the 1980's it was just beginning to open up. The decisions by Deng Xiaoping in 1978-79 began to open China right after their hibernation during the cultural revolution. But it has taken two decades for the changes to shake down through society. Now, you still have very tight restrictions on religion and you still have persecution there, of course. But it's possible to get around China, to go to places without asking permission from the Foreign Ministry, and that was not the case two decades ago.
What are some of the dynamics that have meant that right now is a time where there can be some tremendous growth and opportunities for growth of the Church in China?
I think probably the most dramatic growth may be over. I would say that occurred in the '80s and '90s. Throughout the 1980s and then in the early '90s. Christianity is still growing a lot. I think the point is that there is a spiritual vacuum in China that for quite a long time nobody has believed in Marxism-Leninism, and people want to know what's life all about?
What is the Three Self Church.
The Three Self Patriotic Movement is an umbrella organization for Protestant churches in China, which was set up in the 1950s to enable the Communist Party, through Protestant clergy, to control Protestant Christianity. And it has, in many ways, affected the theology for a long time. In a Three Self church, if you were a pastor, even if you were an evangelical, and many of them are, you were not allowed to preach on the book of Daniel, you weren't allowed to preach on Genesis, you weren't allowed to speak about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Three Self churches claim these are the churches that are open and visible and operating on a weekly basis on Sunday.
How do we go about getting a number for the number of Christians in China?
The Three Self Church claims about 15 to 20 million people. And that's probably a fairly accurate assessment of church membership or church-going throughout China. The Christians in the House Church, or what is sometimes called the Unregistered Christian Communities are reckoned to be about three times as large as the Three Self Christians. So let's suppose you've got 15 million Protestant Christians attached to the Three Self. It's estimated that there may be as many as 45 million who attend House churches. So you were at about 50 million, and then maybe add on another 12 for the Catholics. So we're talking 70 to 80 million people here.
It is amazing when you consider that in 1949 there were only 3 million Catholics and fewer than one million Protestants.
When you try to understand the House Church movement and why it's grown rapidly, you talk about persecution, and you talk about genuine miraculous work of the Spirit of God. You feel like you're reading the book of Acts when you read some of these stories.
Certainly persecution has played a role in the growth of the Church. Christianity has flourished. It's certainly been in many ways as healthy as under persecution because they trimmed a lot of the excesses of life that's come by when things were too easy. But it's also true that for some reason which only the sovereignty of God can explain, many Chinese come into a faith experience of the Christian gospel through some form of miraculous healing, either in their own lives or in the lives of people they know well. And it is very striking. You don't have to spend much time in China to realize that lots and lots of people—far more I would say than you would find normally in the United States—have had first-hand experience of what seemed like miraculous healing.
There's another aspect of the House Church that was fascinating. And that is the degree to which they are a combination of fairly supportive of the United States, and also their call to the Islamic world. They feel the call to be part of what God might do with Muslims.
They do tend to be pro-American, obviously, because they know that in America Christians are free and they get a lot of help from the United States churches, so they're very grateful for that. And also they take a view of America as having had on the whole, a very good influence all over the world. Which countries are first always to provide emergency aid after earthquakes and volcanoes? It's always the Americans. So they appreciate that.
In the case of the Muslims as a movement in the Chinese churches, particularly the House Churches, it's called Back to Jerusalem. And essentially this is a sort of nation-wide concept that the destiny of the Chinese church is to complete the great commission insofar as reaching the Muslim world.
One of the most strategic forward-looking aspects of the book is the way it talks about a "Christianized China."
Well, I make it clear in the book that there's lots of things that could go wrong in China. You could have a sort of alpha-nationalist reaction against all of the Western contacts just as you did during the Boxer Rebellion in the year 1900. But at the present rate of growth in China, it's possible that within 20 to 30 years, 20 to 30 percent of the Chinese will be Christian, which would take place about the same time China is emerging as a number two superpower in the world.
When you have 20 to 30 percent of any country that are Christian believers, and not just nominal Christians but quite serious committed Christians, you find them showing up throughout society in places of influence, including eventually politics. And if that happened, then China as a major power would have the same kind of view of itself and its global responsibility that say Great Britain had in the 19th century and the United States—although it certainly made a few mistakes—has honestly tried to pursue in the 20th century and now in the 21st century.
We've been talking about how Christianity could change China. How might China change the movement of Christianity in the world?
Well, there's an interesting book by a scholar of missions, Philip Jenkins, called The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, in which he shows that there is a shift in the center of gravity of Christianity from north to south because there are more and more Christians in the southern hemisphere, in South American and in Africa, and increasingly large numbers in Asia. Now, if that's happening, and if China is going to be emerging as a country with perhaps the largest number of Christians anywhere in the world, you can be quite sure that China's Christian presence is going to play an influence in the development of global Christianity.
The Dick Staub Interview: China's Christian Syndrome
David Aikman, author of Jesus in Beijing, says in 20 years Christians could have a major impact on China, and that could change the world.
posted 02/18/2004
David Aikman is former senior correspondent and bureau chief in Eastern Europe and Beijing for Time Magazine. His latest book is Jesus in Beijing, which discusses the rise of Christianity in China and what a Christian China might mean for global Christianity and world politics. Aikman is chairman and founder of Gegrapha, a fellowship of Christian journalists, and he contributes regularly to the to the American Spectator and the Weekly Standard.
Talk about how things have changed so dramatically since you were a bureau chief.
When I was in China in the 1980's it was just beginning to open up. The decisions by Deng Xiaoping in 1978-79 began to open China right after their hibernation during the cultural revolution. But it has taken two decades for the changes to shake down through society. Now, you still have very tight restrictions on religion and you still have persecution there, of course. But it's possible to get around China, to go to places without asking permission from the Foreign Ministry, and that was not the case two decades ago.
What are some of the dynamics that have meant that right now is a time where there can be some tremendous growth and opportunities for growth of the Church in China?
I think probably the most dramatic growth may be over. I would say that occurred in the '80s and '90s. Throughout the 1980s and then in the early '90s. Christianity is still growing a lot. I think the point is that there is a spiritual vacuum in China that for quite a long time nobody has believed in Marxism-Leninism, and people want to know what's life all about?
What is the Three Self Church.
The Three Self Patriotic Movement is an umbrella organization for Protestant churches in China, which was set up in the 1950s to enable the Communist Party, through Protestant clergy, to control Protestant Christianity. And it has, in many ways, affected the theology for a long time. In a Three Self church, if you were a pastor, even if you were an evangelical, and many of them are, you were not allowed to preach on the book of Daniel, you weren't allowed to preach on Genesis, you weren't allowed to speak about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Three Self churches claim these are the churches that are open and visible and operating on a weekly basis on Sunday.
How do we go about getting a number for the number of Christians in China?
The Three Self Church claims about 15 to 20 million people. And that's probably a fairly accurate assessment of church membership or church-going throughout China. The Christians in the House Church, or what is sometimes called the Unregistered Christian Communities are reckoned to be about three times as large as the Three Self Christians. So let's suppose you've got 15 million Protestant Christians attached to the Three Self. It's estimated that there may be as many as 45 million who attend House churches. So you were at about 50 million, and then maybe add on another 12 for the Catholics. So we're talking 70 to 80 million people here.
It is amazing when you consider that in 1949 there were only 3 million Catholics and fewer than one million Protestants.
When you try to understand the House Church movement and why it's grown rapidly, you talk about persecution, and you talk about genuine miraculous work of the Spirit of God. You feel like you're reading the book of Acts when you read some of these stories.
Certainly persecution has played a role in the growth of the Church. Christianity has flourished. It's certainly been in many ways as healthy as under persecution because they trimmed a lot of the excesses of life that's come by when things were too easy. But it's also true that for some reason which only the sovereignty of God can explain, many Chinese come into a faith experience of the Christian gospel through some form of miraculous healing, either in their own lives or in the lives of people they know well. And it is very striking. You don't have to spend much time in China to realize that lots and lots of people—far more I would say than you would find normally in the United States—have had first-hand experience of what seemed like miraculous healing.
There's another aspect of the House Church that was fascinating. And that is the degree to which they are a combination of fairly supportive of the United States, and also their call to the Islamic world. They feel the call to be part of what God might do with Muslims.
They do tend to be pro-American, obviously, because they know that in America Christians are free and they get a lot of help from the United States churches, so they're very grateful for that. And also they take a view of America as having had on the whole, a very good influence all over the world. Which countries are first always to provide emergency aid after earthquakes and volcanoes? It's always the Americans. So they appreciate that.
In the case of the Muslims as a movement in the Chinese churches, particularly the House Churches, it's called Back to Jerusalem. And essentially this is a sort of nation-wide concept that the destiny of the Chinese church is to complete the great commission insofar as reaching the Muslim world.
One of the most strategic forward-looking aspects of the book is the way it talks about a "Christianized China."
Well, I make it clear in the book that there's lots of things that could go wrong in China. You could have a sort of alpha-nationalist reaction against all of the Western contacts just as you did during the Boxer Rebellion in the year 1900. But at the present rate of growth in China, it's possible that within 20 to 30 years, 20 to 30 percent of the Chinese will be Christian, which would take place about the same time China is emerging as a number two superpower in the world.
When you have 20 to 30 percent of any country that are Christian believers, and not just nominal Christians but quite serious committed Christians, you find them showing up throughout society in places of influence, including eventually politics. And if that happened, then China as a major power would have the same kind of view of itself and its global responsibility that say Great Britain had in the 19th century and the United States—although it certainly made a few mistakes—has honestly tried to pursue in the 20th century and now in the 21st century.
We've been talking about how Christianity could change China. How might China change the movement of Christianity in the world?
Well, there's an interesting book by a scholar of missions, Philip Jenkins, called The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, in which he shows that there is a shift in the center of gravity of Christianity from north to south because there are more and more Christians in the southern hemisphere, in South American and in Africa, and increasingly large numbers in Asia. Now, if that's happening, and if China is going to be emerging as a country with perhaps the largest number of Christians anywhere in the world, you can be quite sure that China's Christian presence is going to play an influence in the development of global Christianity.
C 130 Pilots Naration of an Adventure
C-130 Pilot's Story
***************************
I am forwarding this to you since it is a good story particularly if you lust over mixed metaphors. This is from a colorful writer from the 1st Marine Air Wing based at MCAS Miramar, (The guy ought to write for a living.....> This is my nominee for 'Best of the Month.)
8888888888888888888888888888
There I was at six thousand feet over central Iraq, two hundred eighty knots and we're dropping faster than Paris Hilton's panties. It's a typical September evening in the Persian Gulf; hotter than a rectal thermometer and I'm sweating like a priest at a Cub Scout meeting. But that's neither here nor there. The night is moonless over Baghdad tonight, and blacker than a Steven King novel. But it's 2004, folks, and I'm sporting the latest in night-combat technology - namely, hand-me-down night vision goggles(NVGs) thrown out by the fighter boys.
Additionally, my 1962 Lockheed C-130E Hercules is equipped with an obsolete, yet, semi-effective missile warning system (MWS). The MWS conveniently makes a nice soothing tone in your headset just bfore the missile explodes into your airplane. Who says you can't polish a turd?
At any rate, the NVGs are illuminating Baghdad International Airport like the Las Vegas Strip during a Mike Tyson fight. These NVGs are the cat's ass. But I've digressed.
The preferred method of approach tonight is the random shallow. This tactical maneuver allows the pilot to ingress the landing zone in an unpredictable manner, thus exploiting the supposedly secured perimeter of the airfield in an attempt to avoid enemy surface-to-air-missiles and small arms fire. Personally, I wouldn't bet my pink ass on that theory but the approach is fun as hell and that's the real reason we fly it.
We get a visual on the runway at three miles out, drop down to one thousand feet above the ground, still maintaining two hundred eighty knots. Now the fun starts. It's pilot appreciation time as I descend the mighty Herk to six hundred feet and smoothly, yet very deliberately, yank into a sixty degree left bank, turning the aircraft ninety degrees offset from runway heading. As soon as we roll out of the turn, I reverse turn to the right a full two hundred seventy degrees in order to roll out aligned with the runway.
Some aeronautical genius coined this maneuver the "Ninety/Two-Seventy."
Chopping the power during the turn, I pull back on the yoke just to the point my nether regions start to sag, bleeding off energy in order to configure the pig for landing.
"Flaps Fifty!, Landing Gear Down!, Before Landing Checklist!" I look over at the copilot and he's shaking like a cat shitting on a sheet of ice.
Looking further back at the navigator, and even through the NVGs, I can clearly see the wet spot spreading around his crotch. Finally, I glanc at my steely-eyed flight engineer. His eyebrows rise in unison as a grin form on his face. I can tell he's thinking the same thing I am.... "Where do we find such fine young men?"
"Flaps One Hundred!" I bark at the shaking cat. Now it's all aimpoint and airspeed. Aviation 101, with the exception there' are no lights, I'm on NVGs, it's Baghdad, and now tracers are starting to crisscross the black sky.
Naturally, and not at all surprisingly, I grease the Goodyear's on brick-one of runway 33 left, bring the throttles to ground idle and then force the props to full reverse pitch. Tonight, the sound of freedom is my four Hamilton Standard propellers chewing through the thick, putrid Baghdad air. Thehuge,one hundred thirty thousand pound, lumbering whispe pig comes to a lurching stop in less than two thousand feet.
Let's see a Viper do that!
We exit the runway to a welcoming committee of government issued Army grunts. It's time to download their beans and bullets and letters from their sweethearts, look for war booty, and of course, urinate on Saddam's home. Walking down the crew entry steps with my lowest-bidder, Beretta 92F, 9 millimeter strapped smartly to my side, look around and thank God, not Allah, I'm an American and I'm on the winning team. Then I thank God I'm not in the Army.
Knowing once again I've cheated death, I ask myself, "What in the hell am I doing in this mess?" Is it Duty, Honor, and Country? You bet your ass.
Or could it possibly be for the glory, the swag, and not to mention chicks dig the Air Medal. There's probably some truth there too. But now is not the time to derive the complexities of the superior, cerebral properties of the human portion of the aviator-man-machine model. It is however, time to get out of this shit-hole. Hey copilot , clean yourself up! And how's
'bout the 'Before Starting Engines Checklist."
God, I love this job!"
***************************
I am forwarding this to you since it is a good story particularly if you lust over mixed metaphors. This is from a colorful writer from the 1st Marine Air Wing based at MCAS Miramar, (The guy ought to write for a living.....> This is my nominee for 'Best of the Month.)
8888888888888888888888888888
There I was at six thousand feet over central Iraq, two hundred eighty knots and we're dropping faster than Paris Hilton's panties. It's a typical September evening in the Persian Gulf; hotter than a rectal thermometer and I'm sweating like a priest at a Cub Scout meeting. But that's neither here nor there. The night is moonless over Baghdad tonight, and blacker than a Steven King novel. But it's 2004, folks, and I'm sporting the latest in night-combat technology - namely, hand-me-down night vision goggles(NVGs) thrown out by the fighter boys.
Additionally, my 1962 Lockheed C-130E Hercules is equipped with an obsolete, yet, semi-effective missile warning system (MWS). The MWS conveniently makes a nice soothing tone in your headset just bfore the missile explodes into your airplane. Who says you can't polish a turd?
At any rate, the NVGs are illuminating Baghdad International Airport like the Las Vegas Strip during a Mike Tyson fight. These NVGs are the cat's ass. But I've digressed.
The preferred method of approach tonight is the random shallow. This tactical maneuver allows the pilot to ingress the landing zone in an unpredictable manner, thus exploiting the supposedly secured perimeter of the airfield in an attempt to avoid enemy surface-to-air-missiles and small arms fire. Personally, I wouldn't bet my pink ass on that theory but the approach is fun as hell and that's the real reason we fly it.
We get a visual on the runway at three miles out, drop down to one thousand feet above the ground, still maintaining two hundred eighty knots. Now the fun starts. It's pilot appreciation time as I descend the mighty Herk to six hundred feet and smoothly, yet very deliberately, yank into a sixty degree left bank, turning the aircraft ninety degrees offset from runway heading. As soon as we roll out of the turn, I reverse turn to the right a full two hundred seventy degrees in order to roll out aligned with the runway.
Some aeronautical genius coined this maneuver the "Ninety/Two-Seventy."
Chopping the power during the turn, I pull back on the yoke just to the point my nether regions start to sag, bleeding off energy in order to configure the pig for landing.
"Flaps Fifty!, Landing Gear Down!, Before Landing Checklist!" I look over at the copilot and he's shaking like a cat shitting on a sheet of ice.
Looking further back at the navigator, and even through the NVGs, I can clearly see the wet spot spreading around his crotch. Finally, I glanc at my steely-eyed flight engineer. His eyebrows rise in unison as a grin form on his face. I can tell he's thinking the same thing I am.... "Where do we find such fine young men?"
"Flaps One Hundred!" I bark at the shaking cat. Now it's all aimpoint and airspeed. Aviation 101, with the exception there' are no lights, I'm on NVGs, it's Baghdad, and now tracers are starting to crisscross the black sky.
Naturally, and not at all surprisingly, I grease the Goodyear's on brick-one of runway 33 left, bring the throttles to ground idle and then force the props to full reverse pitch. Tonight, the sound of freedom is my four Hamilton Standard propellers chewing through the thick, putrid Baghdad air. Thehuge,one hundred thirty thousand pound, lumbering whispe pig comes to a lurching stop in less than two thousand feet.
Let's see a Viper do that!
We exit the runway to a welcoming committee of government issued Army grunts. It's time to download their beans and bullets and letters from their sweethearts, look for war booty, and of course, urinate on Saddam's home. Walking down the crew entry steps with my lowest-bidder, Beretta 92F, 9 millimeter strapped smartly to my side, look around and thank God, not Allah, I'm an American and I'm on the winning team. Then I thank God I'm not in the Army.
Knowing once again I've cheated death, I ask myself, "What in the hell am I doing in this mess?" Is it Duty, Honor, and Country? You bet your ass.
Or could it possibly be for the glory, the swag, and not to mention chicks dig the Air Medal. There's probably some truth there too. But now is not the time to derive the complexities of the superior, cerebral properties of the human portion of the aviator-man-machine model. It is however, time to get out of this shit-hole. Hey copilot , clean yourself up! And how's
'bout the 'Before Starting Engines Checklist."
God, I love this job!"
Ann Coulter- LIAR, LIAR, NOW YOU'RE FIRED
Yahoo! News - LIAR, LIAR, NOW YOU'RE FIRED
Ann C has got her facts all lined up on the Rather/Bush guard item. I Like It!!!
Ann C has got her facts all lined up on the Rather/Bush guard item. I Like It!!!
Monday, January 17, 2005
Power Line: President Bush's Second Term
Power Line: President Bush's Second Term
President Bush's Second Term
The London Times offers a balanced assessment of the prospects for President Bush's second term:
Most second-term presidencies are pale imitations of the first four years in power. They have, historically, been undercut by three factors: agenda exhaustion, personnel depletion and congressional erosion.
None of these constraints applies to this President. He still has plenty of proposals for domestic policy left in him. These range from making permanent tax cuts that were passed in his opening term and the partial privatisation of American pensions to his ambition to curtail the outrageous costs of the US legal system. His new Cabinet members are not noticeably weaker than his previous colleagues. His party runs each branch of Congress and, thanks to the November election results, with greater majorities. For the first time since 1937 a re-elected president who has been in Washington for four years starts again with congressional enhancement, not erosion.
This presidency will thus be different. Mr Bush will be more active at home than is typical of second-term chief executives. He will not be forced to immerse himself in foreign affairs and, when he does, the limitations on him will largely be practical (particularly the course of events in Iraq) and not political. He may also have a very distinct notion of what he wants his legacy to be than other presidents. Rather than engage in the implausible pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize, he might aspire to be remembered as the man who won the War on Terror.
The wild card here is scandal. It has been the curse of second-term Administrations. It embarrassed Eisenhower, triggered the resignation of Nixon, shook the Reagan White House to its foundations and led Mr Clinton to be impeached by the House of Representatives before being acquitted in the Senate. If he can avoid such ethical quicksand, this President’s final few years in office could be surprisingly successful.
Mr Bush’s personal authority, at least until 2007, may be really exceptional. Only Franklin D. Roosevelt has been equivalently placed in the past 100 years.
I'm pretty sure that President Bush won't be brought low by scandal, although the Dems will promote every "scandal" they can get their hands on. Still, while the President looks very strong on paper, my guess is that predictions about his second term are nearly as likely to be off the mark as predictions about his first term were. Events are in the saddle, and most likely, events that we cannot now foresee will drive his administration in a direction we can't now predict.
Posted by Hindrocket at 09:37 AM
President Bush's Second Term
The London Times offers a balanced assessment of the prospects for President Bush's second term:
Most second-term presidencies are pale imitations of the first four years in power. They have, historically, been undercut by three factors: agenda exhaustion, personnel depletion and congressional erosion.
None of these constraints applies to this President. He still has plenty of proposals for domestic policy left in him. These range from making permanent tax cuts that were passed in his opening term and the partial privatisation of American pensions to his ambition to curtail the outrageous costs of the US legal system. His new Cabinet members are not noticeably weaker than his previous colleagues. His party runs each branch of Congress and, thanks to the November election results, with greater majorities. For the first time since 1937 a re-elected president who has been in Washington for four years starts again with congressional enhancement, not erosion.
This presidency will thus be different. Mr Bush will be more active at home than is typical of second-term chief executives. He will not be forced to immerse himself in foreign affairs and, when he does, the limitations on him will largely be practical (particularly the course of events in Iraq) and not political. He may also have a very distinct notion of what he wants his legacy to be than other presidents. Rather than engage in the implausible pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize, he might aspire to be remembered as the man who won the War on Terror.
The wild card here is scandal. It has been the curse of second-term Administrations. It embarrassed Eisenhower, triggered the resignation of Nixon, shook the Reagan White House to its foundations and led Mr Clinton to be impeached by the House of Representatives before being acquitted in the Senate. If he can avoid such ethical quicksand, this President’s final few years in office could be surprisingly successful.
Mr Bush’s personal authority, at least until 2007, may be really exceptional. Only Franklin D. Roosevelt has been equivalently placed in the past 100 years.
I'm pretty sure that President Bush won't be brought low by scandal, although the Dems will promote every "scandal" they can get their hands on. Still, while the President looks very strong on paper, my guess is that predictions about his second term are nearly as likely to be off the mark as predictions about his first term were. Events are in the saddle, and most likely, events that we cannot now foresee will drive his administration in a direction we can't now predict.
Posted by Hindrocket at 09:37 AM
Power Line: What "gets overlooked if not ignored" in Iraq
Power Line: What "gets overlooked if not ignored" in Iraq: "What 'gets overlooked if not ignored' in Iraq
Chrenkoff has his latest installment of 'Good news from Iraq.' He prefaces this edition with a quote from Marine Cpl. Issac D. Pacheco:
[M]any service members shake their heads in frustration each time they see their daily rebuilding efforts ignored by the media in favor of the more 'sensational' car bomb and rocket attack stories. Not to say that tragedies don't happen - Iraq is a war zone - but there is so much more happening that gets overlooked if not ignored.
Chrenkoff adds:
It has been a mission of this fortnightly column, now in its nineteenth edition, to bring to readers' attention all that 'gets overlooked if not ignored' in Iraq: the advancements of the political and civil society, the rebirth of freedom, economic growth and reconstruction progress, generosity of foreigners and positive role played by the Coalition troops in rebuilding the country, and unremarked upon security successes. Contrary to some critics, the intention has never been to whitewash the situation in Iraq or to downplay the negative; the violence, bloodshed, disappointments and frustrations are all there for everyone to see and read about in the mainstream media on a daily basis. But to point out positive developments is not to deny the bad news, merely to provide a more complete picture. As voters faced with the defining foreign policy issue of the new millennium we owe it to ourselves to be fully informed about the state of affairs in Iraq. And that means both the car bombs and rebuilt hospitals.
Among the highlights: (1) the transformation of Sadr City from an insurgents' nest to a peaceful hotbed of political activity (and thus a place overlooked if not ignored by the MSM) and (2) the overwhelming support by Iraqi women for both the elections and the general American effort to create a more free socieity (a phenomenon overlooked if not ignored by most American feminists).
In addition, Chrenkoff provides the useful perspective of Carlos Valenzuela, a U.N. representative from Columbia, who knows a thing or two about holding elections in a difficult and violent envirionment.
Belmont Club has more on the Iraqi elections. The picture it presents is mixed, and identifies Mosul as the primary election-day battleground."
Chrenkoff has his latest installment of 'Good news from Iraq.' He prefaces this edition with a quote from Marine Cpl. Issac D. Pacheco:
[M]any service members shake their heads in frustration each time they see their daily rebuilding efforts ignored by the media in favor of the more 'sensational' car bomb and rocket attack stories. Not to say that tragedies don't happen - Iraq is a war zone - but there is so much more happening that gets overlooked if not ignored.
Chrenkoff adds:
It has been a mission of this fortnightly column, now in its nineteenth edition, to bring to readers' attention all that 'gets overlooked if not ignored' in Iraq: the advancements of the political and civil society, the rebirth of freedom, economic growth and reconstruction progress, generosity of foreigners and positive role played by the Coalition troops in rebuilding the country, and unremarked upon security successes. Contrary to some critics, the intention has never been to whitewash the situation in Iraq or to downplay the negative; the violence, bloodshed, disappointments and frustrations are all there for everyone to see and read about in the mainstream media on a daily basis. But to point out positive developments is not to deny the bad news, merely to provide a more complete picture. As voters faced with the defining foreign policy issue of the new millennium we owe it to ourselves to be fully informed about the state of affairs in Iraq. And that means both the car bombs and rebuilt hospitals.
Among the highlights: (1) the transformation of Sadr City from an insurgents' nest to a peaceful hotbed of political activity (and thus a place overlooked if not ignored by the MSM) and (2) the overwhelming support by Iraqi women for both the elections and the general American effort to create a more free socieity (a phenomenon overlooked if not ignored by most American feminists).
In addition, Chrenkoff provides the useful perspective of Carlos Valenzuela, a U.N. representative from Columbia, who knows a thing or two about holding elections in a difficult and violent envirionment.
Belmont Club has more on the Iraqi elections. The picture it presents is mixed, and identifies Mosul as the primary election-day battleground."
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Power Line: Islamist Murder In Jersey City?
Power Line: Islamist Murder In Jersey City?: "The brutal murder of a family of Coptic Christians in Jersey City, New Jersey may have been carried out by Muslim fanatics in retaliation for the expression of 'anti-Muslim' views on the internet. The New York Post reports:"
Power Line: The crisis that wasn't
Power Line: The crisis that wasn't: "Remeber all those stories about the Bush spending spree and the huge deficit crisis it was creating? Well, that deficit is now shrinking rapidly. And, while you're not likely to find out about this from the MSM, Lawrence Kudlow has the story in the Washington Times.
Kudlow points out that since the end of last September, tax collections have grown at 10.5 percent, while federal cash outlays have risen only 6.1 percent. At this rate, the 2005 deficit would drop to $355 billion from $413 in 2004. As a fraction of projected gross domestic product the deficit would fall to 2.9 percent from last year's 3.6 percent.
It appears, then, that the Bush deficits were product of the recession he inhertied and the slowdown caused by 9/11. Similarly, it appears that the Bush tax cuts, by stimulating the economy, has produced an explosion in tax revenues that is causing the deficit to narrow significantly. But, again, don't expect to hear this from the MSM.
In a sense, it isn't news that tax cuts have led to growth, which has produced revenue, which has shrunk the deficit. This is how it always seems to work. Still, it would be nice if the MSM briefly acknowledged the recurrence of this phenomenon before turning to the latest 'crises' of Bush economics -- the trade deficit and the decline of the dollar."
Kudlow points out that since the end of last September, tax collections have grown at 10.5 percent, while federal cash outlays have risen only 6.1 percent. At this rate, the 2005 deficit would drop to $355 billion from $413 in 2004. As a fraction of projected gross domestic product the deficit would fall to 2.9 percent from last year's 3.6 percent.
It appears, then, that the Bush deficits were product of the recession he inhertied and the slowdown caused by 9/11. Similarly, it appears that the Bush tax cuts, by stimulating the economy, has produced an explosion in tax revenues that is causing the deficit to narrow significantly. But, again, don't expect to hear this from the MSM.
In a sense, it isn't news that tax cuts have led to growth, which has produced revenue, which has shrunk the deficit. This is how it always seems to work. Still, it would be nice if the MSM briefly acknowledged the recurrence of this phenomenon before turning to the latest 'crises' of Bush economics -- the trade deficit and the decline of the dollar."
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Things are going pretty well in Iraq
Power Line: "Aiding and Abetting the Enemy": "January 15, 2005
'Aiding and Abetting the Enemy'
That's what the press is doing in Iraq, according to this superb piece by Lt. Col. Tim Ryan at Blackfive. You should read it all, but here are a few excerpts:
I just read yet another distorted and grossly exaggerated story from a major news organization about the 'failures' in the war in Iraq. Print and video journalists are covering only a small fraction of the events in Iraq and more often than not, the events they cover are only the bad ones. Many of the journalists making public assessments about the progress of the war in Iraq are unqualified to do so, given their training and experience. The inaccurate picture they paint has distorted the world view of the daily realities in Iraq. The result is a further erosion of international public support for the United States' efforts there, and a strengthening of the insurgents' resolve and recruiting efforts while weakening our own. Through their incomplete, uninformed and unbalanced reporting, many members of the media covering the war in Iraq are aiding and abetting the enemy.
Much of the problem is about perspective, putting things in scale and balance. From where I sit in my command post at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, things are not all bad right now. In fact, they are going quite well. We are not under attack by the enemy; on the contrary, we are taking the fight to him daily and have him on the ropes. In the distance, I can hear the repeated impacts of heavy artillery and five hundred-pound bombs hitting their targets in the city. The occasional tank main gun report and the staccato rhythm of a Marine Corps LAV or Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle's 25-millimeter cannon provide the bass line for a symphony of destruction. Right now, as elements from all four services complete the absolute annihilation of the insurgent forces remaining in Fallujah, the area around the former stronghold is more peaceful than it has been for more than a year. The number of attacks in the greater Al Anbar Province is down by at least 70-80% from late October -- before Operation Al Fajar began. The enemy in this area is completely defeated, but not completely gone. Final eradication of the pockets of insurgents will take some time, as it always does, but the fact remains that the central geographic stronghold of the insurgents is now under friendly control. That sounds a lot like success to me. Given all of this, why don't the papers lead with 'Coalition Crushes Remaining Pockets of Insurgents' or 'Enemy Forces Resort to Suicide Bombings of Civilians'? This would paint a far more accurate picture of the enemy's predicament over here. Instead, headlines focus almost exclusively on our hardships.
The scene is repeated all too often: an attack takes place in Baghdad and the morning sounds are punctuated by a large explosion and a rising cloud of smoke. Sirens wail in the distance and photographers dash to the scene a few miles away. Within the hour, stern-faced reporters confidently stare into the camera while standing on the balcony of their tenth-floor Baghdad hotel room, their back to the city and a distant smoke plume rising behind them. More mayhem in Gotham City they intone, and just in time for the morning news. There is a transparent reason why the majority of car bombings and other major events take place before noon Baghdad-time; any later and the event would miss the start of the morning news cycle on the U.S. east coast. These terrorists aren't stupid; they know just what to do to scare the masses and when to do it. An important key to their plan is manipulation of the news media. But, at least the reporters in Iraq are gathering information and filing their stories, regardless of whether or the stories are in perspective. Much worse are the 'talking heads' who sit in studios or offices back home and pontificate about how badly things are going when they never have been to Iraq and only occasionally leave Manhattan.
On the whole, I think Col. Ryan is too kind to the American press. I think that the press's undermining of our war effort is, in many instances, deliberate. It appears to me that many, if not most, American reporters, editors and news executives want to make it impossible for America ever to fight a war. To further this goal, I think they use their reporting to undermine our effort in Iraq. The idea is that if we are defeated in Iraq, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for us to fight another war anywhere for a generation. Is this assessment too harsh? I don't think so."
'Aiding and Abetting the Enemy'
That's what the press is doing in Iraq, according to this superb piece by Lt. Col. Tim Ryan at Blackfive. You should read it all, but here are a few excerpts:
I just read yet another distorted and grossly exaggerated story from a major news organization about the 'failures' in the war in Iraq. Print and video journalists are covering only a small fraction of the events in Iraq and more often than not, the events they cover are only the bad ones. Many of the journalists making public assessments about the progress of the war in Iraq are unqualified to do so, given their training and experience. The inaccurate picture they paint has distorted the world view of the daily realities in Iraq. The result is a further erosion of international public support for the United States' efforts there, and a strengthening of the insurgents' resolve and recruiting efforts while weakening our own. Through their incomplete, uninformed and unbalanced reporting, many members of the media covering the war in Iraq are aiding and abetting the enemy.
Much of the problem is about perspective, putting things in scale and balance. From where I sit in my command post at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, things are not all bad right now. In fact, they are going quite well. We are not under attack by the enemy; on the contrary, we are taking the fight to him daily and have him on the ropes. In the distance, I can hear the repeated impacts of heavy artillery and five hundred-pound bombs hitting their targets in the city. The occasional tank main gun report and the staccato rhythm of a Marine Corps LAV or Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle's 25-millimeter cannon provide the bass line for a symphony of destruction. Right now, as elements from all four services complete the absolute annihilation of the insurgent forces remaining in Fallujah, the area around the former stronghold is more peaceful than it has been for more than a year. The number of attacks in the greater Al Anbar Province is down by at least 70-80% from late October -- before Operation Al Fajar began. The enemy in this area is completely defeated, but not completely gone. Final eradication of the pockets of insurgents will take some time, as it always does, but the fact remains that the central geographic stronghold of the insurgents is now under friendly control. That sounds a lot like success to me. Given all of this, why don't the papers lead with 'Coalition Crushes Remaining Pockets of Insurgents' or 'Enemy Forces Resort to Suicide Bombings of Civilians'? This would paint a far more accurate picture of the enemy's predicament over here. Instead, headlines focus almost exclusively on our hardships.
The scene is repeated all too often: an attack takes place in Baghdad and the morning sounds are punctuated by a large explosion and a rising cloud of smoke. Sirens wail in the distance and photographers dash to the scene a few miles away. Within the hour, stern-faced reporters confidently stare into the camera while standing on the balcony of their tenth-floor Baghdad hotel room, their back to the city and a distant smoke plume rising behind them. More mayhem in Gotham City they intone, and just in time for the morning news. There is a transparent reason why the majority of car bombings and other major events take place before noon Baghdad-time; any later and the event would miss the start of the morning news cycle on the U.S. east coast. These terrorists aren't stupid; they know just what to do to scare the masses and when to do it. An important key to their plan is manipulation of the news media. But, at least the reporters in Iraq are gathering information and filing their stories, regardless of whether or the stories are in perspective. Much worse are the 'talking heads' who sit in studios or offices back home and pontificate about how badly things are going when they never have been to Iraq and only occasionally leave Manhattan.
On the whole, I think Col. Ryan is too kind to the American press. I think that the press's undermining of our war effort is, in many instances, deliberate. It appears to me that many, if not most, American reporters, editors and news executives want to make it impossible for America ever to fight a war. To further this goal, I think they use their reporting to undermine our effort in Iraq. The idea is that if we are defeated in Iraq, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for us to fight another war anywhere for a generation. Is this assessment too harsh? I don't think so."
Indonesia/ No thanks
baldilocks: "Go to Hell With Your Aid!" She says, among other things:
Over the last 40 years the Indonesians have used both Russian and American war materiel; the Air Force currently is flying US-made Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft from the 1960s, which are overdue for replacement. The Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs from the 1970s are looking pretty long in the tooth, too; and even the newer F-16s have issues with spare parts. While most of its major weapons systems are US-made, Indonesia is under a US embargo, thanks to US disapproval of Indonesian suppression of East Timorese separatists. Even if the embargo was lifted, any arms supplied by the US would probably have strings attached limiting their utility against other separatist movements --which is the primary reason the Indonesians, beset by several such movements, want modern weapons. One Indonesian politician's response to the US embargo, in mid-December before the tidal wave brought American aid en masse, was succinct: "Go to Hell with your aid!" [bold mine]
Over the last 40 years the Indonesians have used both Russian and American war materiel; the Air Force currently is flying US-made Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft from the 1960s, which are overdue for replacement. The Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs from the 1970s are looking pretty long in the tooth, too; and even the newer F-16s have issues with spare parts. While most of its major weapons systems are US-made, Indonesia is under a US embargo, thanks to US disapproval of Indonesian suppression of East Timorese separatists. Even if the embargo was lifted, any arms supplied by the US would probably have strings attached limiting their utility against other separatist movements --which is the primary reason the Indonesians, beset by several such movements, want modern weapons. One Indonesian politician's response to the US embargo, in mid-December before the tidal wave brought American aid en masse, was succinct: "Go to Hell with your aid!" [bold mine]
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Great personal account from Afganista by a US soldier!
Chrenkoff
From a reader, CSM Tim Green at the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan:
"I have been in the Army over 27 years and have been here 15 months. My tour was a year and I extended it because I knew my first week here one year wouldn't be enough for all the work that needed to be done. Though many people here would rather be home, I have never met a troop of any service or any coalition partner who doesn't feel they are contributing something positive to the cause. I love the attitude of the troops over here.
"[We have] the pack of regular kids... that hang out at the front gate everyday. They sell their trinkets, junk, cigarettes, DVDs (bootleg), etc, to our guards and the Pakistani truck drivers bivouacking outside awaiting entrance onto the base... Last November I gave base ID cards to seven boys. The group is up to 18 boys ranging from six to about 14, and two girls, both about 12 maybe, one city slick and the other not too shy herself. It's a program to teach kids all the boy and girl scout virtues, allow them on the base to hang out and learn from Americans, pick up trash at the Friday bazaar in return for a share of the money we collect from the vendors to clean up afterwards, and recover something of a fun childhood the last few generations never knew...
"The luckiest boys in Afghanistan took tae kwon do with the Koreans and got their own uniforms, they have the biggest wardrobes of any 10 kids in Afghanistan. We pay for them to go to winter school (they take winters off since they can't heat the classrooms. We pay for three teachers and bought space heaters for three classrooms), they get to go to the dining facility every Friday before cleanup, and went on Thanksgiving and Christmas. [These kids also] act as translators for the guards, MP, and truck drivers as their English is coming alone fantastically...
Tae Kwno Do graduation Posted by Hello
"We have a mission to help the country and many of us with the time and desire get personally involved. My goal was to take a few kids and develop them into clean, healthy, educated kids that have a great hope to be influential adults in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. I take them to the doctor when they're sick; I teach them proper nutrition when we go to the dining facility, and the danger of all the damn candy people give them; they have appropriate seasonal clothing, we teach them personal hygiene... One boy in particular shows great maturity for his age and I tell him my goal for him is to become the president of Afghanistan in 30 years.
Mobarez - the future president Posted by Hello
"For the girls I bought their mothers all new kitchen ware. I set them up with a female soldier who had girls day with them every Tuesday until she left herself. Now they have two new American girl friend. They go to the recreation facility and play games or watch movies, go eat lunch, come hang out with me for a while, go shopping at the PX. And they aren't dumb, either. I took them to the PX and let them select some things they wanted or needed: new scarves, hair brush, shampoo, hair bands, t-shirt, Vaseline. My bill came to $62.00!!!!!"
As Sergeant Major Green writes, these kids - like most of their peers throughout the country - haven't had a great childhood. While it's not part of their mission, don't you wish there were enough servicemen and women over there to extend friendship to every Afghan child?
From a reader, CSM Tim Green at the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan:
"I have been in the Army over 27 years and have been here 15 months. My tour was a year and I extended it because I knew my first week here one year wouldn't be enough for all the work that needed to be done. Though many people here would rather be home, I have never met a troop of any service or any coalition partner who doesn't feel they are contributing something positive to the cause. I love the attitude of the troops over here.
"[We have] the pack of regular kids... that hang out at the front gate everyday. They sell their trinkets, junk, cigarettes, DVDs (bootleg), etc, to our guards and the Pakistani truck drivers bivouacking outside awaiting entrance onto the base... Last November I gave base ID cards to seven boys. The group is up to 18 boys ranging from six to about 14, and two girls, both about 12 maybe, one city slick and the other not too shy herself. It's a program to teach kids all the boy and girl scout virtues, allow them on the base to hang out and learn from Americans, pick up trash at the Friday bazaar in return for a share of the money we collect from the vendors to clean up afterwards, and recover something of a fun childhood the last few generations never knew...
"The luckiest boys in Afghanistan took tae kwon do with the Koreans and got their own uniforms, they have the biggest wardrobes of any 10 kids in Afghanistan. We pay for them to go to winter school (they take winters off since they can't heat the classrooms. We pay for three teachers and bought space heaters for three classrooms), they get to go to the dining facility every Friday before cleanup, and went on Thanksgiving and Christmas. [These kids also] act as translators for the guards, MP, and truck drivers as their English is coming alone fantastically...
Tae Kwno Do graduation Posted by Hello
"We have a mission to help the country and many of us with the time and desire get personally involved. My goal was to take a few kids and develop them into clean, healthy, educated kids that have a great hope to be influential adults in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. I take them to the doctor when they're sick; I teach them proper nutrition when we go to the dining facility, and the danger of all the damn candy people give them; they have appropriate seasonal clothing, we teach them personal hygiene... One boy in particular shows great maturity for his age and I tell him my goal for him is to become the president of Afghanistan in 30 years.
Mobarez - the future president Posted by Hello
"For the girls I bought their mothers all new kitchen ware. I set them up with a female soldier who had girls day with them every Tuesday until she left herself. Now they have two new American girl friend. They go to the recreation facility and play games or watch movies, go eat lunch, come hang out with me for a while, go shopping at the PX. And they aren't dumb, either. I took them to the PX and let them select some things they wanted or needed: new scarves, hair brush, shampoo, hair bands, t-shirt, Vaseline. My bill came to $62.00!!!!!"
As Sergeant Major Green writes, these kids - like most of their peers throughout the country - haven't had a great childhood. While it's not part of their mission, don't you wish there were enough servicemen and women over there to extend friendship to every Afghan child?
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
RWN's 2nd Victor Davis Hanson Interview - Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views)
RWN's 2nd Victor Davis Hanson Interview - Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views) John Hawkins of Right Wing News interviews Victor Davis Hanson on Iraq, Fallujah, Iran, Syria, Vietnam, illegal immigration and many other topics. VDH always has interesting things to say. Good!_Joe
Shocking info on Cost of Torts
Redstate || Collaborative Republicanism for the Masses: "In 2003, according to Tillinghast, the tort system cost $246 billion -- meaning that the average American paid $845 for it via more expensive goods and services. But the really shocking thing is where the billions went. Injured plaintiffs -- the fabled little guys for whom the system is supposedly designed -- got less than half the money. According to Tillinghast's 2002 data, plaintiffs' lawyers swallowed 19 percent of the $233 billion. Defense lawyers pocketed an additional 14 percent, and other administrative costs, mainly at insurance firms, accounted for a further 21 percent. The legal-administrative complex thus guzzled fully 54 percent of the money in the tort system, or $126 billion. That's 43 times as much as the federal government has budgeted this year to combat the global AIDS pandemic."
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Letter from Iraq
This post is an excellent write telling a little of how it is from a soldier's point of view._Joe
One of the most important documents of this Christmas Season...
I know the Christmas season is over, but this email touched me and several others in such a way that I felt it must be posted. I am glad to say that the man who wrote this is a great friend and a true Christian. I have removed the last names for obvious security reasons.
manteca
All,
Merry Christmas from the other side of the world. Did a little map research the other day and discovered that I'm only 527 miles from Bethlehem (as the crow flies). This is probably the closest I will be to the holy land, at least planned. Of course I should be considerably close to where we all began, the Garden of Eden. Who knows, I may be sitting in it. I can tell you that if I am, the Lord has definitely hid it from our eyes well.
All that being said I would like to share a couple of thoughts with you because I feel everyone I'm sending this to will understand the incredibly complex situation that is unfolding here in Iraq.
On the day before Thanksgiving I was invited to a special lunch in our interpreter building. We have a nice building where our linguists hang out until we need them for a mission. These are all Iraqi nationals who risk their lives to accompany us on dangerous missions and also get threatened when they return home because they work with the American "Jews"....
This particular lunch was in memory of a very dear man who had worked with 1st Armored Division as an interpreter and also worked with us for over 8 months. He also dabbled in some contracting work. His name was Dr. Fike as we called him. He taught at Baghdad University and also did an outstanding job of writing articles for the local newspapers to inform Iraqis about the Transitional Authoritative Law. I ate dinner and visited with Dr. Fike on many different occasions. He was definitely a mover and a shaker, full of energy, loved to converse about numerous things, and very entertaining to share time with. His English was very good and like many other linguists had been to the US and other parts of the world. It's amazing that the Iraqis trying to solve problems here have been OUTSIDE of Iraq and understand what there is to gain with a democracy here.
Dr. Fike was reported kidnapped back in late September. We are unsure if he was kidnapped just for money or because he was working with Americans. Probably a combination of both. He was held for ransom, but after the ransom was paid he was shot and killed. We received news of his death about mid November.
It was decided to have a special meal in memory of Dr Fike. The meal was a wonderfully interesting selection of Iraqi cuisine. We had kabobs of beef, grilled tomatoes and cucumbers, ground lamb roasted over an open fire, fresh flatbread, and some very interesting pickles. Dessert was a variety of pastry sweets that were very unusual but very delicious. We finished the meal with tea served in the traditional Iraqi way. It comes in small tea cups, served hot, and fairly strong. As if the meal wasn't good enough the conversation afterwards was even better.
Major Andy and I stayed for the tea while some other officers who attended dismissed themselves. The organizer of the meal was a shop owner that comes in and sells various things outside the interpreter building. We call him Habibi, which is Iraqi for friend. He offered us some cigars and I accepted which provided a little entertainment for the room as they watched a novice puff on snort on a big Cuban cigar.
Our discussions led us to remember what a good man and good friend Dr. Fike was. We eventually started to discuss the tougher issues on as to how and why things like this happen. We contemplated what else could be done to help Iraq get above this type of violence. One of the other Iraqi shop owners said a prayer in Arabic over us all during this time. They all agreed that even though times are tough, it is much better to be rid of Saddam.
Andy and I shared with them the significance and celebration of Thanksgiving in our country. We explained that it was very fitting to have shared a wonderful meal with our friends in this country during the Thanksgiving time of year. They were very interested in the holiday. I also explained to them how recently on leave I shared the plight of the Iraqi people with my church. I told them how concerned and hurt that Americans are for the sufferings of Iraqis. I also explained how people in my church are praying for them everyday to have a safer and freer Iraq for them and their children. There was silence in the room after an interpreter translated what I had shared. One of the Iraqis said God Bless You, and then Habibi, with a tear in his eye, said "we thank you and your church for loving us and praying for us."
It's hard for me to describe the feeling of that afternoon. I never felt so close to people who were from such a different culture than me. I never felt more compassion for a people who have never experienced the kind of blessings and freedoms we enjoy in the US. I have never felt such love for my brothers here on earth was we struggle through our existence and through our shared pains of life.
I stayed in the tactical operations center (TOC) all day Thanksgiving prepared for an attack by rockets or mortars. We felt that because the enemy knew we would be celebrating Thanksgiving lunch that he might try to capitalize on large groups of soldiers with an attack. We were ready and waiting. I had a plan together with hundreds of soldiers and aircraft scanning areas that I knew were possible and past firing points for them. It was an honor for me to stay ready to shoot back and guard our post while others celebrated. I'm not a big crowd kind of guy anyway. Luckily that was a quiet day.
Today I played Taps for another memorial service for a great young soldier who lost his life serving his country and making Iraq a better place for it's people. I did not know the soldier, but his commander and platoon leader gave a very good glimpse of this commendable young man. He was simple, short on words, always ready for a mission, not known to gripe, and when attacked by the enemy had the reputation of being first to lay down suppressive fire and maintain a calm demeanor in danger. Not unlike many other great soldiers in our nation's history, he will be sorely missed by those who knew him, and he will be missed in a society that desperately needs more people that have such an unselfish attitude towards serving a greater good.
This soldier was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped his humvee in half throwing him out into the road. He was then hit by some heavy trucks hauling captured enemy equipment that his unit was escorting. He was still alive when medevaced and it was hopeful that he might pull through. Unfortunately, he passed away later at the hospital due to complications.
I didn't tell that story just to gross anyone out or shock them. I feel it is important to share that so that the next statement is brought more into perspective. His fellow soldiers who treated him on site said his last words were "I love you guys!" Funny how just a few words can say so much.
I suppose what I'm trying to share is that I feel these two events a very symbolic of our struggle here in Iraq and on earth. Jesus came and laid down his life for our sins. We continue to struggle in this world to live up to that gift and charge. The two men I mentioned have reminded me to live up to the sacrifice that Christ made for us over 2,000 years ago. He did so knowingly and freely for our sake. What a wonderful time of year to reflect on and celebrate that gift given to us, and one that we hope to share with others.
Soldiers in Iraq are not perfect, but we continually strive in the face of danger to maintain the moral high ground. Detainees ask to be turned over to Americans from the Iraqis because they know we will treat them more humanely. We are criticized by Iraqis for being too soft often times and that we should make more examples out of some. We strike with incredible lethality and force when need be but we continually strive to solve problems through rebuilding infrastructure and provide security for a new government constantly attacked by terrorists.
I certainly would like nothing more than to be with my family this Christmas, but I'm proud to be here serving a higher purpose. Thank you to everyone back home, who prays, sends packages, mails letters, and continues to support our soldiers. Don't forget about the police and emergency personnel in our own country who maintain our laws and protect us from harm at home. I am constantly comforted by the support of the American public and even feel guilty that the Veterans of Vietnam weren't as fortunate as I. We should remember that our country is full of people who served our great nation even when it wasn't popular and wasn't very easy. Thank you Dad for what you sacrificed when I was Sam's age. Your sacrifice and service have always been an inspiration in my life.
Thank you to all the people who make sure my family is taken care of in Hope. I am comforted knowing that I have wonderful neighbors and friends that will do anything at anytime to help out Janis. I know many of you have come even in the middle of the night to help Janis. I even have great band students like Zach and his father come and take care of my yard, it's so incredible to have such great friends help out. Thank you all for supporting the fight to help Iraq through your support of me and my family.
Thank you Mom and Janis for being military wives who hold down the home front and sacrifice so much to raise children and take care of everything while your husbands are gone. I can't imagine having to be the one on the other end waiting and praying and doing so much on your own. I am comforted to know that I have a wife that I fully trust to take care of my children, home, and finances. I love you Janis.
Just as Thanksgiving I plan on staying in the TOC with my section again through the days around Christmas. Watching vigilantly for someone to try and get a shot off at us and hopefully putting together a plan that inhibits them from being able to do so. I'll do it in honor of my fellow soldiers and do it proudly thinking of the people I love back home who have done so much for me and my family. Lastly, I'll do it to make Iraq a better place for people like Dr. Fike and Habibi who are desperate for a better place to raise their families and live in freedom.
I promise all my emails won't be this sappy in the future. Just had to share some things in my head with people I feel would get something out of it. I love you guys.
Merry Christmas,
Major Michael
One of the most important documents of this Christmas Season...
I know the Christmas season is over, but this email touched me and several others in such a way that I felt it must be posted. I am glad to say that the man who wrote this is a great friend and a true Christian. I have removed the last names for obvious security reasons.
manteca
All,
Merry Christmas from the other side of the world. Did a little map research the other day and discovered that I'm only 527 miles from Bethlehem (as the crow flies). This is probably the closest I will be to the holy land, at least planned. Of course I should be considerably close to where we all began, the Garden of Eden. Who knows, I may be sitting in it. I can tell you that if I am, the Lord has definitely hid it from our eyes well.
All that being said I would like to share a couple of thoughts with you because I feel everyone I'm sending this to will understand the incredibly complex situation that is unfolding here in Iraq.
On the day before Thanksgiving I was invited to a special lunch in our interpreter building. We have a nice building where our linguists hang out until we need them for a mission. These are all Iraqi nationals who risk their lives to accompany us on dangerous missions and also get threatened when they return home because they work with the American "Jews"....
This particular lunch was in memory of a very dear man who had worked with 1st Armored Division as an interpreter and also worked with us for over 8 months. He also dabbled in some contracting work. His name was Dr. Fike as we called him. He taught at Baghdad University and also did an outstanding job of writing articles for the local newspapers to inform Iraqis about the Transitional Authoritative Law. I ate dinner and visited with Dr. Fike on many different occasions. He was definitely a mover and a shaker, full of energy, loved to converse about numerous things, and very entertaining to share time with. His English was very good and like many other linguists had been to the US and other parts of the world. It's amazing that the Iraqis trying to solve problems here have been OUTSIDE of Iraq and understand what there is to gain with a democracy here.
Dr. Fike was reported kidnapped back in late September. We are unsure if he was kidnapped just for money or because he was working with Americans. Probably a combination of both. He was held for ransom, but after the ransom was paid he was shot and killed. We received news of his death about mid November.
It was decided to have a special meal in memory of Dr Fike. The meal was a wonderfully interesting selection of Iraqi cuisine. We had kabobs of beef, grilled tomatoes and cucumbers, ground lamb roasted over an open fire, fresh flatbread, and some very interesting pickles. Dessert was a variety of pastry sweets that were very unusual but very delicious. We finished the meal with tea served in the traditional Iraqi way. It comes in small tea cups, served hot, and fairly strong. As if the meal wasn't good enough the conversation afterwards was even better.
Major Andy and I stayed for the tea while some other officers who attended dismissed themselves. The organizer of the meal was a shop owner that comes in and sells various things outside the interpreter building. We call him Habibi, which is Iraqi for friend. He offered us some cigars and I accepted which provided a little entertainment for the room as they watched a novice puff on snort on a big Cuban cigar.
Our discussions led us to remember what a good man and good friend Dr. Fike was. We eventually started to discuss the tougher issues on as to how and why things like this happen. We contemplated what else could be done to help Iraq get above this type of violence. One of the other Iraqi shop owners said a prayer in Arabic over us all during this time. They all agreed that even though times are tough, it is much better to be rid of Saddam.
Andy and I shared with them the significance and celebration of Thanksgiving in our country. We explained that it was very fitting to have shared a wonderful meal with our friends in this country during the Thanksgiving time of year. They were very interested in the holiday. I also explained to them how recently on leave I shared the plight of the Iraqi people with my church. I told them how concerned and hurt that Americans are for the sufferings of Iraqis. I also explained how people in my church are praying for them everyday to have a safer and freer Iraq for them and their children. There was silence in the room after an interpreter translated what I had shared. One of the Iraqis said God Bless You, and then Habibi, with a tear in his eye, said "we thank you and your church for loving us and praying for us."
It's hard for me to describe the feeling of that afternoon. I never felt so close to people who were from such a different culture than me. I never felt more compassion for a people who have never experienced the kind of blessings and freedoms we enjoy in the US. I have never felt such love for my brothers here on earth was we struggle through our existence and through our shared pains of life.
I stayed in the tactical operations center (TOC) all day Thanksgiving prepared for an attack by rockets or mortars. We felt that because the enemy knew we would be celebrating Thanksgiving lunch that he might try to capitalize on large groups of soldiers with an attack. We were ready and waiting. I had a plan together with hundreds of soldiers and aircraft scanning areas that I knew were possible and past firing points for them. It was an honor for me to stay ready to shoot back and guard our post while others celebrated. I'm not a big crowd kind of guy anyway. Luckily that was a quiet day.
Today I played Taps for another memorial service for a great young soldier who lost his life serving his country and making Iraq a better place for it's people. I did not know the soldier, but his commander and platoon leader gave a very good glimpse of this commendable young man. He was simple, short on words, always ready for a mission, not known to gripe, and when attacked by the enemy had the reputation of being first to lay down suppressive fire and maintain a calm demeanor in danger. Not unlike many other great soldiers in our nation's history, he will be sorely missed by those who knew him, and he will be missed in a society that desperately needs more people that have such an unselfish attitude towards serving a greater good.
This soldier was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped his humvee in half throwing him out into the road. He was then hit by some heavy trucks hauling captured enemy equipment that his unit was escorting. He was still alive when medevaced and it was hopeful that he might pull through. Unfortunately, he passed away later at the hospital due to complications.
I didn't tell that story just to gross anyone out or shock them. I feel it is important to share that so that the next statement is brought more into perspective. His fellow soldiers who treated him on site said his last words were "I love you guys!" Funny how just a few words can say so much.
I suppose what I'm trying to share is that I feel these two events a very symbolic of our struggle here in Iraq and on earth. Jesus came and laid down his life for our sins. We continue to struggle in this world to live up to that gift and charge. The two men I mentioned have reminded me to live up to the sacrifice that Christ made for us over 2,000 years ago. He did so knowingly and freely for our sake. What a wonderful time of year to reflect on and celebrate that gift given to us, and one that we hope to share with others.
Soldiers in Iraq are not perfect, but we continually strive in the face of danger to maintain the moral high ground. Detainees ask to be turned over to Americans from the Iraqis because they know we will treat them more humanely. We are criticized by Iraqis for being too soft often times and that we should make more examples out of some. We strike with incredible lethality and force when need be but we continually strive to solve problems through rebuilding infrastructure and provide security for a new government constantly attacked by terrorists.
I certainly would like nothing more than to be with my family this Christmas, but I'm proud to be here serving a higher purpose. Thank you to everyone back home, who prays, sends packages, mails letters, and continues to support our soldiers. Don't forget about the police and emergency personnel in our own country who maintain our laws and protect us from harm at home. I am constantly comforted by the support of the American public and even feel guilty that the Veterans of Vietnam weren't as fortunate as I. We should remember that our country is full of people who served our great nation even when it wasn't popular and wasn't very easy. Thank you Dad for what you sacrificed when I was Sam's age. Your sacrifice and service have always been an inspiration in my life.
Thank you to all the people who make sure my family is taken care of in Hope. I am comforted knowing that I have wonderful neighbors and friends that will do anything at anytime to help out Janis. I know many of you have come even in the middle of the night to help Janis. I even have great band students like Zach and his father come and take care of my yard, it's so incredible to have such great friends help out. Thank you all for supporting the fight to help Iraq through your support of me and my family.
Thank you Mom and Janis for being military wives who hold down the home front and sacrifice so much to raise children and take care of everything while your husbands are gone. I can't imagine having to be the one on the other end waiting and praying and doing so much on your own. I am comforted to know that I have a wife that I fully trust to take care of my children, home, and finances. I love you Janis.
Just as Thanksgiving I plan on staying in the TOC with my section again through the days around Christmas. Watching vigilantly for someone to try and get a shot off at us and hopefully putting together a plan that inhibits them from being able to do so. I'll do it in honor of my fellow soldiers and do it proudly thinking of the people I love back home who have done so much for me and my family. Lastly, I'll do it to make Iraq a better place for people like Dr. Fike and Habibi who are desperate for a better place to raise their families and live in freedom.
I promise all my emails won't be this sappy in the future. Just had to share some things in my head with people I feel would get something out of it. I love you guys.
Merry Christmas,
Major Michael
IBN_ALRAFIDAIN: Rambling Post (1)
IBN_ALRAFIDAIN: Rambling Post (1)
Friday, January 07, 2005
Rambling Post (1)
Now, continuing what is said in the previous post, scrutinizing your comments, one can deduce:
1. People saying these comments reflect intellectual way of thinking.
2. These people live in communities dominated by law.
3. They are aware of their duties & rights.
4. They know what the means of implementing law are and how to use them.
5. They did not live for more than forty years under oppression which hindered the community resulting in a twisted way of thinking here in Iraq.
6. There are notable cultural differences in perceiving certain concepts.
Now, I can understand all the comments you have made and I agree with most of them. But once again I say that we, the Iraqis, need educational rehabilitation to start moving toward civilized values. One of my favorite visitors to my blog, Papa Ray, directed me to a blog interview with Steven Vincent on Chrenkoff . Vincent toured in Iraq for four months as a freelance and wrote a book about his journey "In the Red Zone: A journey into the soul of Iraq". He says describing the Iraqi society:
"… Imagine children whose father physically and emotionally
abused them for
years. Now imagine that the authorities jail the father and
tell the children
they're free to live their own lives. Theoretically, they
are free, but the
traumas of their past will still haunt them, limiting and
afflicting their
freedom. That's the condition of most Iraqis. As if that
weren't bad enough, add
in the regressive pull of tribalism and reactionary
Islam…"
Good way to describe the aftermath society in Iraq. I think that many Mideast societies resemble the Iraqi. The question is "Should the 'civilized' world break up with such societies and seclude itself?" and if this hypothetical decision was made, would these retrogressive societies leave the 'civilized' world alone? The answer could be found in what Chrenkoff says in his post Steve Vincent goes "In The Red Zone":
"…it was the September 11 attack, which Vincent watched
unfolding from the roof
of his apartment, that destroyed his comfortable old
certainties, alerted him to
a new danger facing the West and awakened inside
him the need to learn more
about it."
Now back to your comments, Vincent is a westerner and to avoid making preconception, he came to Iraq trying to understand what's going on. I can say, for sure, that most of you can not visit Iraq nowadays. So let me try to do my best to put you closer to the Iraqi society, though I know it is not easy to understand certain issues because of the cultural differences.
Iraq with its nowadays geographical area did not exist till the year 1920. The modern state introduced to the Iraqis, and many of the Middle East peoples, by the British. Till then, Mesopotamia was part of the Ottoman Empire and the tribal system was the dominating way of life.
A book entitled (A Study in The Society of Iraq) by Dr. Ali Wardi (an Iraqi sociologist 1913-96), in which he made a very good effort to develop a hypothesis which says that the Iraqi society is very influenced by the Bedouin culture. He believes that the pivot point of the Bedouin culture is (unfair competition); I can not find the exact translation for the Arabic word.
The Bedouin has three major Cultural Complexes, according to Dr. Wardi, which are:
1. Tribal sectarianism: consists of strict adherence to the tribe, chieftain(ism), revenge, succor, lineage boast, protecting woman…etc.
2. Incursion(ism): consists of boasting about power & bravery, fighting & booty, sense of honor, frankness, disdain, to contempt work…etc.
3. Magnanimity & generosity: consists of boasting about hospitality & generosity; helping aliens, neighbors, comrades, allies, and every weak person asking for help.
These three cultural complexes require that a Bedouin should have a powerful tribe which can invade other tribes. He can participate in its raids on other tribes.
A Bedouin should prove his bravery through booty quantity he can gain. And to prove his generosity, he should surpass others through granting as much as he can from the booty. For that the Bedouin is described as (plunderous-granter or donator).
After emerging as a new state, Iraq made a notable progress toward modernization till the year 1958 in which a military coup took place. After that coup, Iraqi society started to slow down in its movement toward being civilized one. And since the year 1979, in which Saddam seized power, the Iraqi society witnessed a significant relapse into tribal values.
To be continued…
Friday, January 07, 2005
Rambling Post (1)
Now, continuing what is said in the previous post, scrutinizing your comments, one can deduce:
1. People saying these comments reflect intellectual way of thinking.
2. These people live in communities dominated by law.
3. They are aware of their duties & rights.
4. They know what the means of implementing law are and how to use them.
5. They did not live for more than forty years under oppression which hindered the community resulting in a twisted way of thinking here in Iraq.
6. There are notable cultural differences in perceiving certain concepts.
Now, I can understand all the comments you have made and I agree with most of them. But once again I say that we, the Iraqis, need educational rehabilitation to start moving toward civilized values. One of my favorite visitors to my blog, Papa Ray, directed me to a blog interview with Steven Vincent on Chrenkoff . Vincent toured in Iraq for four months as a freelance and wrote a book about his journey "In the Red Zone: A journey into the soul of Iraq". He says describing the Iraqi society:
"… Imagine children whose father physically and emotionally
abused them for
years. Now imagine that the authorities jail the father and
tell the children
they're free to live their own lives. Theoretically, they
are free, but the
traumas of their past will still haunt them, limiting and
afflicting their
freedom. That's the condition of most Iraqis. As if that
weren't bad enough, add
in the regressive pull of tribalism and reactionary
Islam…"
Good way to describe the aftermath society in Iraq. I think that many Mideast societies resemble the Iraqi. The question is "Should the 'civilized' world break up with such societies and seclude itself?" and if this hypothetical decision was made, would these retrogressive societies leave the 'civilized' world alone? The answer could be found in what Chrenkoff says in his post Steve Vincent goes "In The Red Zone":
"…it was the September 11 attack, which Vincent watched
unfolding from the roof
of his apartment, that destroyed his comfortable old
certainties, alerted him to
a new danger facing the West and awakened inside
him the need to learn more
about it."
Now back to your comments, Vincent is a westerner and to avoid making preconception, he came to Iraq trying to understand what's going on. I can say, for sure, that most of you can not visit Iraq nowadays. So let me try to do my best to put you closer to the Iraqi society, though I know it is not easy to understand certain issues because of the cultural differences.
Iraq with its nowadays geographical area did not exist till the year 1920. The modern state introduced to the Iraqis, and many of the Middle East peoples, by the British. Till then, Mesopotamia was part of the Ottoman Empire and the tribal system was the dominating way of life.
A book entitled (A Study in The Society of Iraq) by Dr. Ali Wardi (an Iraqi sociologist 1913-96), in which he made a very good effort to develop a hypothesis which says that the Iraqi society is very influenced by the Bedouin culture. He believes that the pivot point of the Bedouin culture is (unfair competition); I can not find the exact translation for the Arabic word.
The Bedouin has three major Cultural Complexes, according to Dr. Wardi, which are:
1. Tribal sectarianism: consists of strict adherence to the tribe, chieftain(ism), revenge, succor, lineage boast, protecting woman…etc.
2. Incursion(ism): consists of boasting about power & bravery, fighting & booty, sense of honor, frankness, disdain, to contempt work…etc.
3. Magnanimity & generosity: consists of boasting about hospitality & generosity; helping aliens, neighbors, comrades, allies, and every weak person asking for help.
These three cultural complexes require that a Bedouin should have a powerful tribe which can invade other tribes. He can participate in its raids on other tribes.
A Bedouin should prove his bravery through booty quantity he can gain. And to prove his generosity, he should surpass others through granting as much as he can from the booty. For that the Bedouin is described as (plunderous-granter or donator).
After emerging as a new state, Iraq made a notable progress toward modernization till the year 1958 in which a military coup took place. After that coup, Iraqi society started to slow down in its movement toward being civilized one. And since the year 1979, in which Saddam seized power, the Iraqi society witnessed a significant relapse into tribal values.
To be continued…
The Convoginators
The Convoginators
Jeff Madlock posted an email he received at Christmas from his best friend, who is a Major (and a public school teacher) serving in Iraq, on his site, Convoginators. He describes a dinner he shared with a group of Iraqis in honor of an Iraqi translator who was kidnapped and held for ransom, and then murdered after the ransom was paid. It's a touching email; read it all. This is just one brief excerpt that is timely at the moment . Read it all: The Convoginators
Jeff Madlock posted an email he received at Christmas from his best friend, who is a Major (and a public school teacher) serving in Iraq, on his site, Convoginators. He describes a dinner he shared with a group of Iraqis in honor of an Iraqi translator who was kidnapped and held for ransom, and then murdered after the ransom was paid. It's a touching email; read it all. This is just one brief excerpt that is timely at the moment . Read it all: The Convoginators
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Power Line: The End State in Iraq
Power Line: The End State in Iraq
Austin Bay is a guy whom I have been vaguely aware of, but hadn't taken the trouble to focus on and pay attention to. (My fault, not his.) Tonight Hugh Hewitt interviewed Bay on his radio show; he was a superb guest. Bay is a novelist and an Army reserve Colonel who served in Iraq for six months. His web site is here. Bay isn't a blogger. Yet.
Austin Bay wrote an article for the current issue of the Weekly Standard titled "The Millenium War". Bay's keen intelligence, his first-hand knowledge of events in Iraq, and his skills as a novelist are all on display. Here are a few excerpts:
Iraqi cops and Coalition force advisers arrested one Ahmad T. Tahir (also known as Mohammad Bogy) at the wake of a man Tahir had murdered on August 22. Tahir had ties to Saddam's regime, possibly serving as an enforcer for one of Saddam's intelligence services. When the Coalition forces arrived, Tahir tried to flee into his victim's house. When the police chased him he tried to hide behind the daughters and wife of his victim. The women then began slapping Tahir and pushing him forward toward the police and security troops, who proceeded to capture him. The women told the police that "[Tahir] didn't think we could do anything to him, and that's why he was here."
In street slang, Tahir/Mohammad Bogy, the killer, was strutting his stuff until Iraqi police backed by Green Berets jammed an assault rifle into his nose. Thug arrogance is all too common a feature of the world's hard corners, where the criminals have dominated for so long they are certain their iron wills and unmitigated violence will continue to cow all opponents. It's why the only way to beat the arrogant is to beat them and punch a rifle barrel into the cold amazement of their eyes. I state it crudely with good purpose, for this is a rubber-meets-the-road example of what scholarly strategists mean when they describe war as a clash of wills.
And this:
Babylon was an old-style military empire that attacked its neighbors, then ruled them by force. Our contemporary world is filled with petty empires that differ very little from Babylon, fake states where gangs or tribal clans rule by oppression, not consensus. In too many hard corners of our planet the foundation for a modern state never formed, but the trappings--capital, an army, a seat in the U.N., IMF loans--can be acquired. Legitimate authority? Rule of law? Forget it. The bayonet to the throat remains the only process for establishing authority, making "sovereignty" within Rand McNally borders a constantly contested notion. In such tribal, feudal, and anarchic quarters, lip service may be paid to common humanity, but the implementation of laws protecting basic human rights is rare.
For centuries the fake nation-states didn't matter too much. Tribal battles remained local horrors. Not any more. Enforcing local dictatorial control with arrows or assault rifles is one thing--but now the rogue rulers use nerve gas. With ballistic missiles at hand, with terrorists willing to fly commercial jets into skyscrapers, rogues' possession and use of chemical weapons is no longer a local matter: Technological compression means a local war can become a global war. We learned, at a terrible price, that Islamofascist plotting in Afghanistan produces terrorist crime in New York and Washington. To return to an era where distance made a difference requires ditching essential technology. Ban the Internet? Ban the 747? Ban satellite television?
This is why the End State in Iraq matters, and why there is no Exit Strategy from the task in Mesopotamia.
Iraq, long plundered by despots, should be a wealthy country. It has water, an agricultural base, a source of capital (oil), and people willing to work. It is the best place to begin to reform the dysfunctional political systems that shackle and rob the vast majority of Middle Easterners. Success in Iraq would create conditions to break the region's endless cycle of robbery and violence. It would also force angry Middle Eastern Muslims to finally confront the inadequacies of their own societies instead of blaming Europe, the United States, and Israel for their centuries of fossilization and decline.
Listening to Austin Bay on Hugh's show tonight, I was struck by the thought that it's no wonder that many journalists feel threatened by the new media. The fact is that very few of the smartest people around are journalists. And today, people aren't forced to get their news and commentary from journalists. It's a good thing.
Posted by Hindrocket at 07:30 PM
Austin Bay is a guy whom I have been vaguely aware of, but hadn't taken the trouble to focus on and pay attention to. (My fault, not his.) Tonight Hugh Hewitt interviewed Bay on his radio show; he was a superb guest. Bay is a novelist and an Army reserve Colonel who served in Iraq for six months. His web site is here. Bay isn't a blogger. Yet.
Austin Bay wrote an article for the current issue of the Weekly Standard titled "The Millenium War". Bay's keen intelligence, his first-hand knowledge of events in Iraq, and his skills as a novelist are all on display. Here are a few excerpts:
Iraqi cops and Coalition force advisers arrested one Ahmad T. Tahir (also known as Mohammad Bogy) at the wake of a man Tahir had murdered on August 22. Tahir had ties to Saddam's regime, possibly serving as an enforcer for one of Saddam's intelligence services. When the Coalition forces arrived, Tahir tried to flee into his victim's house. When the police chased him he tried to hide behind the daughters and wife of his victim. The women then began slapping Tahir and pushing him forward toward the police and security troops, who proceeded to capture him. The women told the police that "[Tahir] didn't think we could do anything to him, and that's why he was here."
In street slang, Tahir/Mohammad Bogy, the killer, was strutting his stuff until Iraqi police backed by Green Berets jammed an assault rifle into his nose. Thug arrogance is all too common a feature of the world's hard corners, where the criminals have dominated for so long they are certain their iron wills and unmitigated violence will continue to cow all opponents. It's why the only way to beat the arrogant is to beat them and punch a rifle barrel into the cold amazement of their eyes. I state it crudely with good purpose, for this is a rubber-meets-the-road example of what scholarly strategists mean when they describe war as a clash of wills.
And this:
Babylon was an old-style military empire that attacked its neighbors, then ruled them by force. Our contemporary world is filled with petty empires that differ very little from Babylon, fake states where gangs or tribal clans rule by oppression, not consensus. In too many hard corners of our planet the foundation for a modern state never formed, but the trappings--capital, an army, a seat in the U.N., IMF loans--can be acquired. Legitimate authority? Rule of law? Forget it. The bayonet to the throat remains the only process for establishing authority, making "sovereignty" within Rand McNally borders a constantly contested notion. In such tribal, feudal, and anarchic quarters, lip service may be paid to common humanity, but the implementation of laws protecting basic human rights is rare.
For centuries the fake nation-states didn't matter too much. Tribal battles remained local horrors. Not any more. Enforcing local dictatorial control with arrows or assault rifles is one thing--but now the rogue rulers use nerve gas. With ballistic missiles at hand, with terrorists willing to fly commercial jets into skyscrapers, rogues' possession and use of chemical weapons is no longer a local matter: Technological compression means a local war can become a global war. We learned, at a terrible price, that Islamofascist plotting in Afghanistan produces terrorist crime in New York and Washington. To return to an era where distance made a difference requires ditching essential technology. Ban the Internet? Ban the 747? Ban satellite television?
This is why the End State in Iraq matters, and why there is no Exit Strategy from the task in Mesopotamia.
Iraq, long plundered by despots, should be a wealthy country. It has water, an agricultural base, a source of capital (oil), and people willing to work. It is the best place to begin to reform the dysfunctional political systems that shackle and rob the vast majority of Middle Easterners. Success in Iraq would create conditions to break the region's endless cycle of robbery and violence. It would also force angry Middle Eastern Muslims to finally confront the inadequacies of their own societies instead of blaming Europe, the United States, and Israel for their centuries of fossilization and decline.
Listening to Austin Bay on Hugh's show tonight, I was struck by the thought that it's no wonder that many journalists feel threatened by the new media. The fact is that very few of the smartest people around are journalists. And today, people aren't forced to get their news and commentary from journalists. It's a good thing.
Posted by Hindrocket at 07:30 PM
Monday, January 03, 2005
Power Line: Iraqis Undeterred By Violence
Power Line: Iraqis Undeterred By ViolenceJanuary 03, 2005
Iraqis Undeterred By Violence
We've said before that, with few exceptions, those who want to postpone the elections in Iraq are those who would prefer that they never take place at all. Haider Ajina adds further support for that view with this translation of poll results that appeared in the Iraqi Arabic newspaper Alsabaah this morning. The poll was of 4.974 Iraqis living in and around Baghdad:
Will the security problems cause you to?
Not come out and vote the day of elections = 18.3%
Come out and vote the day of elections = 78.3%
No opinion = 3.4%
Do you support military action against the terrorists?
Yes = 87.7 %
No = 11.1%
Don’t Know = 1.2%
My guess is that the turnout in Iraq at the end of the month will exceed what we normally get in a Presidential election here in the U.S. If the terrorists aren't deterring the Iraqis, why should they deter us?
Iraqis Undeterred By Violence
We've said before that, with few exceptions, those who want to postpone the elections in Iraq are those who would prefer that they never take place at all. Haider Ajina adds further support for that view with this translation of poll results that appeared in the Iraqi Arabic newspaper Alsabaah this morning. The poll was of 4.974 Iraqis living in and around Baghdad:
Will the security problems cause you to?
Not come out and vote the day of elections = 18.3%
Come out and vote the day of elections = 78.3%
No opinion = 3.4%
Do you support military action against the terrorists?
Yes = 87.7 %
No = 11.1%
Don’t Know = 1.2%
My guess is that the turnout in Iraq at the end of the month will exceed what we normally get in a Presidential election here in the U.S. If the terrorists aren't deterring the Iraqis, why should they deter us?
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Monday, December 27, 2004
In Iraq for 365: Two Iraqis
In Iraq for 365: Two Iraqis
Two Iraqis
Both of them were blown from their seats by the blast, which they described as, “very powerful, lots of noise and heat.” The two Iraqi soldiers were both dazed. One of them could only hear a loud ringing sound in his ears. The other couldn’t believe his eyes: Every where he looked people were gasping for air or bleeding profusely. Before the two Iraqis lay a helpless American soldier, who staggered across the smoke-filled mess hall at first only to fall on the ground. They couldn’t understand a word coming out of the American’s mouth. They only saw the blood spewing from his leg.
These two men, both in their 20s, saw carnage caused by the very people they took an oath to defend Iraq against. These two men were proud Iraqis who were trained by U.S. Army Special Forces. These two men had seen enough people die at the hands of terrorists, and on December 21, 2004, they would do everything in their power to save every person they could.
The human body has several vital points. A sharp piece of metal to the jugular and a person is gone within seconds. A shot to the temple, a person will never even know what hit him. A slug to the heart or spleen and the person’s collection of memories will flash before his or her eyes in an instant. A hit to the femoral artery leaves a person minutes, maybe hours, but their final moments will be agonizing.
The suicide bomb sprayed bb-like fragments throughout the Marez dining facility. One piece of shrapnel sliced through the femoral artery of a U.S. soldier and his only chance for survival was in the hands of these two Iraqis.
Recalling the medical classes they’d received from the special forces, the Iraqis reacted calmly, fastening a belt above the wound, creating a tourniquet, which stopped the gushing stream of red. They moved the soldier to a MEDVAC vehicle via two-man litter carry. After they hoisted the soldier in the truck, the two Iraqis – one an officer, the other an NCO – ran back to the facility and began treating the other wounded without regard for their safety.
When the dust settled and the mess tent had been evacuated, everybody who could talk was questioned about their health. When the medics came to the two Iraqis, the ING soldiers only wanted to know how everybody else was. When asked why did they do it, they simply stated, “this was our duty; we are a team, and we take care of each other.” Even the Americans.
This country needs more people like these two Iraqi soldiers. If more shared their passion and determination, the terrorist’s fear tactics of beheadings, public killings and kidnappings would not work. If more believed in their vision of Iraq, there would be no fighting; there would only be encouragement for their fellow man and peace. If more people understood their sacrifices and followed their lead, this country would not be as dependent upon others. But they can’t single handily change their country, so they decisively lead by example without trepidation.
Rather than running, they stood strong and saved a man’s life. Because of them, somebody’s son is still breathing. Right now, the U.S. Army is trying to give these two Iraqis prestigious awards. But all the Iraqis want to do is check on the soldier they saved. “I just want to make sure he is OK.”
By now, the American, who is still in the hospital recovering, knows the story of the two Iraqis. And I’m sure he looks forward to the day he can look his Iraqi brother-at-arms in the eye and say, "Thanks for saving my life."
Two Iraqis
Both of them were blown from their seats by the blast, which they described as, “very powerful, lots of noise and heat.” The two Iraqi soldiers were both dazed. One of them could only hear a loud ringing sound in his ears. The other couldn’t believe his eyes: Every where he looked people were gasping for air or bleeding profusely. Before the two Iraqis lay a helpless American soldier, who staggered across the smoke-filled mess hall at first only to fall on the ground. They couldn’t understand a word coming out of the American’s mouth. They only saw the blood spewing from his leg.
These two men, both in their 20s, saw carnage caused by the very people they took an oath to defend Iraq against. These two men were proud Iraqis who were trained by U.S. Army Special Forces. These two men had seen enough people die at the hands of terrorists, and on December 21, 2004, they would do everything in their power to save every person they could.
The human body has several vital points. A sharp piece of metal to the jugular and a person is gone within seconds. A shot to the temple, a person will never even know what hit him. A slug to the heart or spleen and the person’s collection of memories will flash before his or her eyes in an instant. A hit to the femoral artery leaves a person minutes, maybe hours, but their final moments will be agonizing.
The suicide bomb sprayed bb-like fragments throughout the Marez dining facility. One piece of shrapnel sliced through the femoral artery of a U.S. soldier and his only chance for survival was in the hands of these two Iraqis.
Recalling the medical classes they’d received from the special forces, the Iraqis reacted calmly, fastening a belt above the wound, creating a tourniquet, which stopped the gushing stream of red. They moved the soldier to a MEDVAC vehicle via two-man litter carry. After they hoisted the soldier in the truck, the two Iraqis – one an officer, the other an NCO – ran back to the facility and began treating the other wounded without regard for their safety.
When the dust settled and the mess tent had been evacuated, everybody who could talk was questioned about their health. When the medics came to the two Iraqis, the ING soldiers only wanted to know how everybody else was. When asked why did they do it, they simply stated, “this was our duty; we are a team, and we take care of each other.” Even the Americans.
This country needs more people like these two Iraqi soldiers. If more shared their passion and determination, the terrorist’s fear tactics of beheadings, public killings and kidnappings would not work. If more believed in their vision of Iraq, there would be no fighting; there would only be encouragement for their fellow man and peace. If more people understood their sacrifices and followed their lead, this country would not be as dependent upon others. But they can’t single handily change their country, so they decisively lead by example without trepidation.
Rather than running, they stood strong and saved a man’s life. Because of them, somebody’s son is still breathing. Right now, the U.S. Army is trying to give these two Iraqis prestigious awards. But all the Iraqis want to do is check on the soldier they saved. “I just want to make sure he is OK.”
By now, the American, who is still in the hospital recovering, knows the story of the two Iraqis. And I’m sure he looks forward to the day he can look his Iraqi brother-at-arms in the eye and say, "Thanks for saving my life."
Power Line: They stopped thinking about tomorrow
Power Line: They stopped thinking about tomorrow: "They JUST DON'T GET IT!
Michael Barone looks back on the 2004 election and is 'struck by how many of the constituencies supporting Democratic candidates oppose, rather than seek, change -- how they are motivated not by ideas about how to change the future, but by something like nostalgia for the past.' The Democratic party, he argues, is defined by 1930 era views on social security, 60s views on the state of race relations and the use of military force, and 70s views on feminism. Cosmetically at least, this state of affairs constitutes a reversal of roles from 1996 when the Democrats claimed they couldn't 'stop thinking about tomorrow,' while Bob Dole promised to be 'a bridge to the past.'
Ironically, John Kerry, the icon of 1971, outpolled President Bush among young voters. The Democrats take heart from this, and reasonably so, although one wonders how much of a role Kerry's scare talk about reinstating the draft played. In any case, it is doubtful that the Democrats can sustain any edge they might have with younger voters unless they adopt a less backward looking approach to the issues. "
Michael Barone looks back on the 2004 election and is 'struck by how many of the constituencies supporting Democratic candidates oppose, rather than seek, change -- how they are motivated not by ideas about how to change the future, but by something like nostalgia for the past.' The Democratic party, he argues, is defined by 1930 era views on social security, 60s views on the state of race relations and the use of military force, and 70s views on feminism. Cosmetically at least, this state of affairs constitutes a reversal of roles from 1996 when the Democrats claimed they couldn't 'stop thinking about tomorrow,' while Bob Dole promised to be 'a bridge to the past.'
Ironically, John Kerry, the icon of 1971, outpolled President Bush among young voters. The Democrats take heart from this, and reasonably so, although one wonders how much of a role Kerry's scare talk about reinstating the draft played. In any case, it is doubtful that the Democrats can sustain any edge they might have with younger voters unless they adopt a less backward looking approach to the issues. "
OpinionJournal - John Fund on the Trail
OpinionJournal - John Fund on the Trail: "From America With Love
Ukraine's new first lady knows what freedom really means.
Monday, December 27, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST
In the most peaceful revolution since South Africa ended its apartheid regime by electing Nelson Mandela president in 1994, Ukraine has just elected opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko president of the former Soviet satellite republic. The victory comes for the pro-Western leader after a dirty campaign that saw him poisoned and only after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets to protest voter-fraud. 'We peacefully, beautifully, elegantly and without any drops of blood changed Ukraine,' Mr. Yushchenko told cheering supporters.
What many Westerners do not realize, however, is when Mr. Yushchenko takes the seat of power, at his side will be a tough minded, savvy American-raised businesswoman. His wife, Kateryna Chumachenko Yushchenko, is the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants who grew up steeped in the traditions of her ancestral homeland.
Mrs. Yushchenko was raised in suburban Chicago as the daughter of an electrician and seamstress. During World War II, her parents were forced to immigrate to Germany and work as slave labor. They came to the U.S. in 1956 at the invitation of a Ukrainian Orthodox church. She grew up speaking Ukrainian at home, learning the national dances and attending a Ukrainian school and Orthodox church. 'My parents felt they had to keep alive the culture and traditions they thought were being suppressed by the Soviet Union,' she told me.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s she worked in the human rights office of the U.S. State Department. She also worked for the first President Bush in the Treasury Department. But her dream was always to help Ukraine become independent. So after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 she moved to Kiev. Her business degree from the University of Chicago helped her land a job with KPMG, the U.S. international auditing company, and she prospered training the country's economists in Western practices. She met Viktor Yushchenko when he was part of a delegation of central bankers she brought to Chicago. 'He understood free markets, had a firm faith in God and knew what the right path for the country should be,' she told me. The two married in 1998, and they now have three children.
"
Ukraine's new first lady knows what freedom really means.
Monday, December 27, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST
In the most peaceful revolution since South Africa ended its apartheid regime by electing Nelson Mandela president in 1994, Ukraine has just elected opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko president of the former Soviet satellite republic. The victory comes for the pro-Western leader after a dirty campaign that saw him poisoned and only after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets to protest voter-fraud. 'We peacefully, beautifully, elegantly and without any drops of blood changed Ukraine,' Mr. Yushchenko told cheering supporters.
What many Westerners do not realize, however, is when Mr. Yushchenko takes the seat of power, at his side will be a tough minded, savvy American-raised businesswoman. His wife, Kateryna Chumachenko Yushchenko, is the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants who grew up steeped in the traditions of her ancestral homeland.
Mrs. Yushchenko was raised in suburban Chicago as the daughter of an electrician and seamstress. During World War II, her parents were forced to immigrate to Germany and work as slave labor. They came to the U.S. in 1956 at the invitation of a Ukrainian Orthodox church. She grew up speaking Ukrainian at home, learning the national dances and attending a Ukrainian school and Orthodox church. 'My parents felt they had to keep alive the culture and traditions they thought were being suppressed by the Soviet Union,' she told me.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s she worked in the human rights office of the U.S. State Department. She also worked for the first President Bush in the Treasury Department. But her dream was always to help Ukraine become independent. So after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 she moved to Kiev. Her business degree from the University of Chicago helped her land a job with KPMG, the U.S. international auditing company, and she prospered training the country's economists in Western practices. She met Viktor Yushchenko when he was part of a delegation of central bankers she brought to Chicago. 'He understood free markets, had a firm faith in God and knew what the right path for the country should be,' she told me. The two married in 1998, and they now have three children.
"
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Right Wing Spic: I'm totally gay.
Right Wing Spic: I'm totally gay.: "adj. Showing or characterized by cheerfulness and lighthearted excitement; merry.
I am 100%, completely over-the-top gay right now. Why? Here are the reasons:
* John Kerry will not be moving into the White House in January.
* I live in the greatest nation on the face of the planet, in spite of the efforts of a liberal minority bent on making America 'just like Europe'.
* As aggressive and powerful as the ACLU seems to be, God is in control, and will ultimately prevail.
* The cost of my sins, death, was paid for in full by Jesus Christ.
* I have a beautiful family.
* Although Americans have suffered over 1,000 deaths in Iraq, that number pales in comparison to those lost in previous conflicts. In just one WWII battle, the Battle of the Bulge, 19,000 American lives were lost - in just one battle. Almost 800 lives were lost during the rehersal for the D-Day invasion. 29,000 dead soldiers were recovered from the beach after the actual invasion. Iraq is difficult right now, but it could be much, much worse. And we will prevail.
* Michael Moore's relevance has deteriorated to the point where he is now forced to produce sequels. His post-election behavior is indicative of an injured animal that's just waiting to expire. He has become such 'yesterdays news' that we may soon see him appearing at local night clubs with Pat Travers and Grand Funk Railroad.
* I have a cabinet full of semi-auto 'assault weapons', dozens of clips, and a load of ammo. And it sure feels good!
* The liberal Hollywood elitists are starting to realize that Americans as a whole really do not like them.
* Those nit-witted has-been musicians who toured to raise money for the failed Kerry campaign are back where they belong - in obscurity.
Yes, I'm just about as gay as it gets right now. I'm flaming gay. Don't get too close.... 'cause I'm on fire!"
I am 100%, completely over-the-top gay right now. Why? Here are the reasons:
* John Kerry will not be moving into the White House in January.
* I live in the greatest nation on the face of the planet, in spite of the efforts of a liberal minority bent on making America 'just like Europe'.
* As aggressive and powerful as the ACLU seems to be, God is in control, and will ultimately prevail.
* The cost of my sins, death, was paid for in full by Jesus Christ.
* I have a beautiful family.
* Although Americans have suffered over 1,000 deaths in Iraq, that number pales in comparison to those lost in previous conflicts. In just one WWII battle, the Battle of the Bulge, 19,000 American lives were lost - in just one battle. Almost 800 lives were lost during the rehersal for the D-Day invasion. 29,000 dead soldiers were recovered from the beach after the actual invasion. Iraq is difficult right now, but it could be much, much worse. And we will prevail.
* Michael Moore's relevance has deteriorated to the point where he is now forced to produce sequels. His post-election behavior is indicative of an injured animal that's just waiting to expire. He has become such 'yesterdays news' that we may soon see him appearing at local night clubs with Pat Travers and Grand Funk Railroad.
* I have a cabinet full of semi-auto 'assault weapons', dozens of clips, and a load of ammo. And it sure feels good!
* The liberal Hollywood elitists are starting to realize that Americans as a whole really do not like them.
* Those nit-witted has-been musicians who toured to raise money for the failed Kerry campaign are back where they belong - in obscurity.
Yes, I'm just about as gay as it gets right now. I'm flaming gay. Don't get too close.... 'cause I'm on fire!"
Power Line: A soldier endorses Rumsfeld
Power Line: A soldier endorses RumsfeldIt's Christmas Eve, though it didn't feel like it. There are some good decorations in the hospital, but we had no Christmas music in the OR today, and no snow on the ground. No nativity scenes or festive cheer in this part of the world. Then, after a routine for here but hardly routine day in the OR, my day was made. I'm referring to the interaction I witnessed and helped facilitate between a young injured soldier and a high ranking official. Here is how it happened:
I was reading foxnews.com at around noon when I told the anesthesiologist that "the Donald" was in town on a surprise visit. No, not Donald Trump, but Donald Rumsfeld. He laughed cynically and said no way would he come here. Well, at around 1600 I was in the OR and I was told that Rumsfeld was downstairs, and we could go down there if we wanted to. I was not in a position to leave, obviously.
Well, the timing worked out well, because I was taking my patient to the recovery room when we wheeled the stretcher through a mob of dignitaries, to include 3 and 4 star generals. I knew the Secretary was nearby, and it turns out he was in the ICU. The patient drew enough attention because of his bruised, banged up face that the 4 star came over to get his story from the surgeon. I was doing some charting by the bedside when Mr. Rumsfeld came over and heard the kid's story from the 4-star. Rumsfeld looked concerned and kind of kept his distance from the gruesome site. He said something like "bless his heart", as if talking around him.
That is when I, without any thought, piped in with "Sir, you can talk to him, he's awake." He told the soldier, named Rob, how proud he was of his service. The soldier was in a bit of disbelief, because he couldn't see with one eye patched and the other swollen shut. He said he wanted to talk to Rumsfeld. That's when I said "He's standing right to your left, Rob, that's his voice you hear. You can talk to him." The kid was nervous at that point, but sputtered out how honored he was to talk to him. Mr. Rumsfeld replied, "No, it's an honor for me to talk to you."
Then remarkably, the young soldier, who had just lost his left hand and right eye from an explosion, came to the defense of the Secretary of Defense, stating "Mr. Rumsfeld, I want you to know, that you are doing a fantastic job. I know that you are taking a lot of heat for the problems with getting armor for vehicles. I want you to know that things are vastly improved. Our vehicles are great, and I have never searched through junk piles for scrap metal."
At this point, Rumsfeld looked choked up, and I had a lump in my throat and and watery eyes. It was moving. What makes a man who has been so close to death, and maimed for life, come to the defense of the Army's highest ranking official? Loyalty, I dare say. Did Rob think Mr. Rumsfeld was having a self-esteem problem? In his greatest hour of need, his thoughts went to the emotional needs of another. I found it quite amazing, and moving. The Secretary took out a coin and gave it to a bystander for him, as if he didn't know he could touch him. Finally, the soldier said, "Man, Donald Rumsfeld, I wish I could shake his hand."
Even at that, I felt Mr. Rumsfeld needed some prompting, so I picked up the kid's arm and looked at the Secretary, and he reached out and took the kid's hand. After the entourage left, I took the coin and placed it in the soldiers hand, for him to feel and hold. I said, "that's not one you'll get every day." He was happy. I told the person caring for him to make certain that coin went with him to his room. I was assured that he would. I told Rob it was an honor to care for him, and then went on to do my next case. I'd like to see him tomorrow, but I heard he is flying out tonight.
I was reading foxnews.com at around noon when I told the anesthesiologist that "the Donald" was in town on a surprise visit. No, not Donald Trump, but Donald Rumsfeld. He laughed cynically and said no way would he come here. Well, at around 1600 I was in the OR and I was told that Rumsfeld was downstairs, and we could go down there if we wanted to. I was not in a position to leave, obviously.
Well, the timing worked out well, because I was taking my patient to the recovery room when we wheeled the stretcher through a mob of dignitaries, to include 3 and 4 star generals. I knew the Secretary was nearby, and it turns out he was in the ICU. The patient drew enough attention because of his bruised, banged up face that the 4 star came over to get his story from the surgeon. I was doing some charting by the bedside when Mr. Rumsfeld came over and heard the kid's story from the 4-star. Rumsfeld looked concerned and kind of kept his distance from the gruesome site. He said something like "bless his heart", as if talking around him.
That is when I, without any thought, piped in with "Sir, you can talk to him, he's awake." He told the soldier, named Rob, how proud he was of his service. The soldier was in a bit of disbelief, because he couldn't see with one eye patched and the other swollen shut. He said he wanted to talk to Rumsfeld. That's when I said "He's standing right to your left, Rob, that's his voice you hear. You can talk to him." The kid was nervous at that point, but sputtered out how honored he was to talk to him. Mr. Rumsfeld replied, "No, it's an honor for me to talk to you."
Then remarkably, the young soldier, who had just lost his left hand and right eye from an explosion, came to the defense of the Secretary of Defense, stating "Mr. Rumsfeld, I want you to know, that you are doing a fantastic job. I know that you are taking a lot of heat for the problems with getting armor for vehicles. I want you to know that things are vastly improved. Our vehicles are great, and I have never searched through junk piles for scrap metal."
At this point, Rumsfeld looked choked up, and I had a lump in my throat and and watery eyes. It was moving. What makes a man who has been so close to death, and maimed for life, come to the defense of the Army's highest ranking official? Loyalty, I dare say. Did Rob think Mr. Rumsfeld was having a self-esteem problem? In his greatest hour of need, his thoughts went to the emotional needs of another. I found it quite amazing, and moving. The Secretary took out a coin and gave it to a bystander for him, as if he didn't know he could touch him. Finally, the soldier said, "Man, Donald Rumsfeld, I wish I could shake his hand."
Even at that, I felt Mr. Rumsfeld needed some prompting, so I picked up the kid's arm and looked at the Secretary, and he reached out and took the kid's hand. After the entourage left, I took the coin and placed it in the soldiers hand, for him to feel and hold. I said, "that's not one you'll get every day." He was happy. I told the person caring for him to make certain that coin went with him to his room. I was assured that he would. I told Rob it was an honor to care for him, and then went on to do my next case. I'd like to see him tomorrow, but I heard he is flying out tonight.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Ugly Reporting Wrongs Rumsfeld
Itzaz� Around Here!
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Ugly Reporting Wrongs Rumsfeld
by Allan H. Ryskind
Posted Dec 17, 2004
It may not have been conscious sabotage of the defense secretary, but it's hard to believe otherwise.Nowhere was the media's irresponsibility on the Iraq conflict more acutely demonstrated than in the barrage of ugly news reports on Donald Rumsfeld's exchange in Kuwait with Spc. Thomas Wilson, an exchange that is still reverberating across the country.
Those who pay close attention to the news are almost certainly familiar with the reported encounter. Spc. Wilson, an airplane mechanic with the Tennessee Army National Guard, asked the secretary an important question: ". . . A lot of us are getting ready to move north relatively soon. Our vehicles are not armored. We're digging pieces of rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass that's already been shot up . . . to put on our vehicles to take into combat. We do not have proper armament [sic] vehicles to carry with us north."
Out of Context
Virtually all the newspaper, magazine, radio, and TV accounts wildly misrepresented what happened next. As the Washington Post's Thomas Ricks "reported"--and his piece was wholly representative of the media in general--"Rumsfeld replied: 'As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time."
Rumsfeld, as the media would have it, was blowing off the deepest concerns of our men and women about to be placed in a deadly situation.
This observer--along with a number of other pro-Bush, but not necessarily pro-war or pro-Rumsfeld conservatives I talked with--was also initially outraged upon first hearing the exchange endlessly repeated on radio and TV, and then reading the account in cold print. How could the secretary have been so callous? Why hadn't he told these soldiers what the Defense Department was doing to improve matters?
Any parent with a kid at risk in Iraq would have been fully justified in demanding Rumsfeld's head for such cold-blooded remarks. Rumsfeld, according to the media's portrayal, was telling the troops to "suck it up" and casualties be damned. No wonder his reported remarks caused such a furor.
But the official transcript of the Kuwaiti townhall meeting with the troops, as last week's HUMAN EVENTS reported, reveals an entirely different story.
The first words out of Rumsfeld's mouth in response to Wilson were not what the media either said or implied or disclosed in film clips. They were, instead, words of encouragement. Rumsfeld dwelt at length on how much progress the military was making in solving the problem that began materializing a year ago August when the enemy started using explosives to blow up thin-skinned Army vehicles normally used in the rear of the combat zone. Nor was the secretary caught off guard by the question, as the media has suggested. Here, in fact, is how Rumsfeld immediately responded--all 94 words worth--to Spc. Wilson's now famous query:
"I talked to the general coming out here about the pace at which the vehicles are being armored. They have been brought from all over the world, wherever they're not needed, to a place here where they are needed. I'm told that they are being--the Army is--I think it's something like 400 a month are being done. And it's essentially a matter of physics. It isn't a matter of money. It isn't a matter on the part of the Army of desire. It's a matter of production and capability of doing it." Then Rumsfeld launched into an explanation of why there weren't as many armored vehicles as the conflict now warranted. "As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time. Since the Iraq conflict began, the Army has been pressing ahead to produce the armor necessary at a rate they believe--it's a greatly expanded rate from what existed previously--but a rate that they believe is the rate that is all that can be accomplished at this moment," said Rumsfeld.
"I can assure you," he continued, "that General Schoolmaker and the leadership in the Army and certainly General Whitcomb are sensitive to the fact that not every vehicle has the degree of armor that would be desirable for it to have, but they're working at a good clip. . . . [T]he goal we have is to have as many of those vehicles as is humanly possible with the appropriate level of armor available for the troops. And that is what the Army has been working on."
Does this sound like the media's grotesque portrait of Rumsfeld?
Those friends of mine who had been furious with the defense secretary for his apparent indifference to the soldiers' life and death concerns were stunned as to how they had been misled when I read them the transcript. They were not upset that the question had been prompted by an embedded reporter, Edward Lee Pitts of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press, for the query, judging from the positive reaction of some of the troops, was clearly a legitimate one.But they were hot under the collar--and still are--at having been hoodwinked by the Washington Post, the New York Times, and radio and TV networks as to Rumsfeld's response.
The Post, in fact, repeated the distortion two days in a row--December 9 and 10--when it had to know better. Even NBC's Tim Russert--the toughest, but fairest news moderator in TV--showed the distorted film clip of Rumsfeld's answer four day's after his town hall meeting.
The issues of Time and Newsweek that hit the newsstands this past week were still misreporting the Rumsfeld-Wilson exchange. Time: "It was Rumsfeld's response though, that instantly ignited a firestorm. 'You go to war with the Army you have,' Rumsfeld told Wilson, 'not the Army you might want . . .'"
Newsweek: "Rumsfeld's initial response [to Wilson's question] was testy: 'You go to war with the Army you have,' he barked." On December 15, Weekly Standard Editor William Kristol--nearly a week after the print media had twisted Rumsfeld's reply--unleashed a jeremiad against the Defense secretary, using the essentially false quote as his launching pad.
Doesn't anyone look at original transcripts anymore?
Rumsfeld talked to about 2,300 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilian laborers at Camp Buehring in northern Kuwait. Contrary to media suggestions, the troops were warm and receptive. The gathering frequently cheered and applauded the defense secretary, as he praised the troops and informed them how important their mission was. They cheered and applauded his remarks in response to their questions, gave him standing ovations and crowded around him for 45 minutes shaking his hand and snapping his picture after he had briefed them. His appearance was also broken up with good-natured laughter. These soldiers were clearly not acting bitterly or ready to mutiny. Those who read the complete transcript of Rumsfeld's appearance as well as the briefing for reporters by Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb will have a far different understanding of what occurred than if they choose to rely on the news accounts.
Gen. Whitcomb, commander of the Third Army and Coalition Forces Land Component Command, has major responsibility for ground operations in Iraq. He explained to reporters the day after Rumsfeld's meeting with the troops that the U.S. was in the process of mass-producing armored Humvees, from 30 per month last August to "over 400 per month" currently. He described how the military, in 10 sites in both Kuwait and Iraq, has been systematically adding armor "to existing unarmored vehicles" and using other measures to make the vehicles safer. Of some 30,000 "wheeled vehicles" in the area, Whitcomb allowed, fewer than 8,000 are not armored currently, but many of those are not being deployed in dangerous areas and there is an effort to fix them as well.
None of this is essentially disputed.
Fog of JournalismWhitcomb then boasted: "I can tell you that the last full brigade that deployed into Iraq about six weeks ago, the 256th Infantry, almost a thousand wheeled vehicles . . . had some level of armor protection on it. . . . Our goal in what we're working towards is that no wheeled vehicle that leaves Kuwait going into Iraq is driven by a soldier that does not have some level of armor protection on it."
Why aren't they armored in the first place? In former wars, these vehicles were normally deployed in the rear areas. The Humvee, as Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf notes, "was never considered an armored vehicle to begin with," but the insurgents have unleashed a new tactic that the Pentagon has clearly been grappling with in a serious way.
Americans know the Iraqi situation is dicey. The military is conflicted as to how many troops are needed and whether the situation is worsening or, as some believe, is essentially contained in the Sunni triangle. Our knowledge of what's happening is certainly clouded by the fog of war.
But what about the fog of journalism? How can Americans--especially decision-making Americans in Congress and elsewhere--comprehend what's happening when the journalistic community relentlessly spreads what amounts to a wretched lie about what our government is doing?
Mr. Ryskind, HUMAN EVENTS Editor at large, is writing a book on Communism in Hollywood.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Ugly Reporting Wrongs Rumsfeld
by Allan H. Ryskind
Posted Dec 17, 2004
It may not have been conscious sabotage of the defense secretary, but it's hard to believe otherwise.Nowhere was the media's irresponsibility on the Iraq conflict more acutely demonstrated than in the barrage of ugly news reports on Donald Rumsfeld's exchange in Kuwait with Spc. Thomas Wilson, an exchange that is still reverberating across the country.
Those who pay close attention to the news are almost certainly familiar with the reported encounter. Spc. Wilson, an airplane mechanic with the Tennessee Army National Guard, asked the secretary an important question: ". . . A lot of us are getting ready to move north relatively soon. Our vehicles are not armored. We're digging pieces of rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass that's already been shot up . . . to put on our vehicles to take into combat. We do not have proper armament [sic] vehicles to carry with us north."
Out of Context
Virtually all the newspaper, magazine, radio, and TV accounts wildly misrepresented what happened next. As the Washington Post's Thomas Ricks "reported"--and his piece was wholly representative of the media in general--"Rumsfeld replied: 'As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time."
Rumsfeld, as the media would have it, was blowing off the deepest concerns of our men and women about to be placed in a deadly situation.
This observer--along with a number of other pro-Bush, but not necessarily pro-war or pro-Rumsfeld conservatives I talked with--was also initially outraged upon first hearing the exchange endlessly repeated on radio and TV, and then reading the account in cold print. How could the secretary have been so callous? Why hadn't he told these soldiers what the Defense Department was doing to improve matters?
Any parent with a kid at risk in Iraq would have been fully justified in demanding Rumsfeld's head for such cold-blooded remarks. Rumsfeld, according to the media's portrayal, was telling the troops to "suck it up" and casualties be damned. No wonder his reported remarks caused such a furor.
But the official transcript of the Kuwaiti townhall meeting with the troops, as last week's HUMAN EVENTS reported, reveals an entirely different story.
The first words out of Rumsfeld's mouth in response to Wilson were not what the media either said or implied or disclosed in film clips. They were, instead, words of encouragement. Rumsfeld dwelt at length on how much progress the military was making in solving the problem that began materializing a year ago August when the enemy started using explosives to blow up thin-skinned Army vehicles normally used in the rear of the combat zone. Nor was the secretary caught off guard by the question, as the media has suggested. Here, in fact, is how Rumsfeld immediately responded--all 94 words worth--to Spc. Wilson's now famous query:
"I talked to the general coming out here about the pace at which the vehicles are being armored. They have been brought from all over the world, wherever they're not needed, to a place here where they are needed. I'm told that they are being--the Army is--I think it's something like 400 a month are being done. And it's essentially a matter of physics. It isn't a matter of money. It isn't a matter on the part of the Army of desire. It's a matter of production and capability of doing it." Then Rumsfeld launched into an explanation of why there weren't as many armored vehicles as the conflict now warranted. "As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time. Since the Iraq conflict began, the Army has been pressing ahead to produce the armor necessary at a rate they believe--it's a greatly expanded rate from what existed previously--but a rate that they believe is the rate that is all that can be accomplished at this moment," said Rumsfeld.
"I can assure you," he continued, "that General Schoolmaker and the leadership in the Army and certainly General Whitcomb are sensitive to the fact that not every vehicle has the degree of armor that would be desirable for it to have, but they're working at a good clip. . . . [T]he goal we have is to have as many of those vehicles as is humanly possible with the appropriate level of armor available for the troops. And that is what the Army has been working on."
Does this sound like the media's grotesque portrait of Rumsfeld?
Those friends of mine who had been furious with the defense secretary for his apparent indifference to the soldiers' life and death concerns were stunned as to how they had been misled when I read them the transcript. They were not upset that the question had been prompted by an embedded reporter, Edward Lee Pitts of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press, for the query, judging from the positive reaction of some of the troops, was clearly a legitimate one.But they were hot under the collar--and still are--at having been hoodwinked by the Washington Post, the New York Times, and radio and TV networks as to Rumsfeld's response.
The Post, in fact, repeated the distortion two days in a row--December 9 and 10--when it had to know better. Even NBC's Tim Russert--the toughest, but fairest news moderator in TV--showed the distorted film clip of Rumsfeld's answer four day's after his town hall meeting.
The issues of Time and Newsweek that hit the newsstands this past week were still misreporting the Rumsfeld-Wilson exchange. Time: "It was Rumsfeld's response though, that instantly ignited a firestorm. 'You go to war with the Army you have,' Rumsfeld told Wilson, 'not the Army you might want . . .'"
Newsweek: "Rumsfeld's initial response [to Wilson's question] was testy: 'You go to war with the Army you have,' he barked." On December 15, Weekly Standard Editor William Kristol--nearly a week after the print media had twisted Rumsfeld's reply--unleashed a jeremiad against the Defense secretary, using the essentially false quote as his launching pad.
Doesn't anyone look at original transcripts anymore?
Rumsfeld talked to about 2,300 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilian laborers at Camp Buehring in northern Kuwait. Contrary to media suggestions, the troops were warm and receptive. The gathering frequently cheered and applauded the defense secretary, as he praised the troops and informed them how important their mission was. They cheered and applauded his remarks in response to their questions, gave him standing ovations and crowded around him for 45 minutes shaking his hand and snapping his picture after he had briefed them. His appearance was also broken up with good-natured laughter. These soldiers were clearly not acting bitterly or ready to mutiny. Those who read the complete transcript of Rumsfeld's appearance as well as the briefing for reporters by Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb will have a far different understanding of what occurred than if they choose to rely on the news accounts.
Gen. Whitcomb, commander of the Third Army and Coalition Forces Land Component Command, has major responsibility for ground operations in Iraq. He explained to reporters the day after Rumsfeld's meeting with the troops that the U.S. was in the process of mass-producing armored Humvees, from 30 per month last August to "over 400 per month" currently. He described how the military, in 10 sites in both Kuwait and Iraq, has been systematically adding armor "to existing unarmored vehicles" and using other measures to make the vehicles safer. Of some 30,000 "wheeled vehicles" in the area, Whitcomb allowed, fewer than 8,000 are not armored currently, but many of those are not being deployed in dangerous areas and there is an effort to fix them as well.
None of this is essentially disputed.
Fog of JournalismWhitcomb then boasted: "I can tell you that the last full brigade that deployed into Iraq about six weeks ago, the 256th Infantry, almost a thousand wheeled vehicles . . . had some level of armor protection on it. . . . Our goal in what we're working towards is that no wheeled vehicle that leaves Kuwait going into Iraq is driven by a soldier that does not have some level of armor protection on it."
Why aren't they armored in the first place? In former wars, these vehicles were normally deployed in the rear areas. The Humvee, as Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf notes, "was never considered an armored vehicle to begin with," but the insurgents have unleashed a new tactic that the Pentagon has clearly been grappling with in a serious way.
Americans know the Iraqi situation is dicey. The military is conflicted as to how many troops are needed and whether the situation is worsening or, as some believe, is essentially contained in the Sunni triangle. Our knowledge of what's happening is certainly clouded by the fog of war.
But what about the fog of journalism? How can Americans--especially decision-making Americans in Congress and elsewhere--comprehend what's happening when the journalistic community relentlessly spreads what amounts to a wretched lie about what our government is doing?
Mr. Ryskind, HUMAN EVENTS Editor at large, is writing a book on Communism in Hollywood.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
BeldarBlog: Ma-ia-hii
BeldarBlog: Ma-ia-hii: "Ma-ia-hii
Things you find on the internet can make you want to sing and dance. My dog now thinks I'm nuts, and so would anyone else watching me at the moment.
Hat-tip and good-natured curses to John Derbyshire (who in turn blamed Jonah Goldberg, but then provided a link for for the lyrics) on NRO's The Corner."
Humor
Things you find on the internet can make you want to sing and dance. My dog now thinks I'm nuts, and so would anyone else watching me at the moment.
Hat-tip and good-natured curses to John Derbyshire (who in turn blamed Jonah Goldberg, but then provided a link for for the lyrics) on NRO's The Corner."
Humor
Mullings An American Cyber Column By Rich Galen
Mullings An American Cyber Column By Rich Galen: "# This past weekend we celebrated the 60th anniversary marking the start of the Battle of the Bulge.
# Imagine if that six-week battle, which resulted in two hundred thousand - TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND - men dead and wounded on both sides, were being covered the way Iraq is being covered today.
# There would be a public outcry demanding the instantaneous and simultaneous resignations of George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley.
# Military 'analysts' would be all over the cable nets demanding to know 'How did the American military command miss the fact that the Germans had moved more than two full Armies into the Ardennes?'
# Franklin Delano Roosevelt's political opponents - and many of his friends - would be demanding that he change the military leadership which had been faithful to FDR, which was now in danger of losing the war, and which refused to change tactics in the face of a resurgent enemy.
# How the path of history would have altered course if those three men had been forced off the field of battle.
# Thus is the danger of measuring war a battle at a time, and measuring a battle a day at a time.
# The President has set the course. Don Rumsfeld will continue direct the forces necessary to achieve it.
# Kerikterizing Rumsfeld will be a wasted effort and a distraction from the task at hand."
# Imagine if that six-week battle, which resulted in two hundred thousand - TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND - men dead and wounded on both sides, were being covered the way Iraq is being covered today.
# There would be a public outcry demanding the instantaneous and simultaneous resignations of George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley.
# Military 'analysts' would be all over the cable nets demanding to know 'How did the American military command miss the fact that the Germans had moved more than two full Armies into the Ardennes?'
# Franklin Delano Roosevelt's political opponents - and many of his friends - would be demanding that he change the military leadership which had been faithful to FDR, which was now in danger of losing the war, and which refused to change tactics in the face of a resurgent enemy.
# How the path of history would have altered course if those three men had been forced off the field of battle.
# Thus is the danger of measuring war a battle at a time, and measuring a battle a day at a time.
# The President has set the course. Don Rumsfeld will continue direct the forces necessary to achieve it.
# Kerikterizing Rumsfeld will be a wasted effort and a distraction from the task at hand."
Power Line: The Margin of Victory in Washington Sate Governor's Race
Power Line: The Margin of Victory
This will amaze you. It looks like the Democrats are going to steal this one. I lifted this info off the internet, but if you want to go to the source, go to powerline and follow the links._Joe
____________________________________________
A few days ago we linked to Stefan Sharkansky's blog Sound Politics, which is covering the recount in the Washington governor's race. Reader Mike Barton pointed out that Sharkansky has been investigating, with rather astonishing results:
Crunching the data in the King [Ukraine] County voter registration file, I came across precinct SEA 37-1823, or simply Precinct 1823, located in downtown Seattle between Elliot Bay and I-5 near the James St. exit.
Precinct 1823 has 763 registered "Active" voters. 527 of them list as their residence address 500 4th Ave -- the King County Administration Building. 241 of these voters specifically note their apartment number as #553, which is the room number of the ... King [Ukraine] County Records and Elections office.
Over 300 of these alleged "voters" give 500 4th Ave. (with or without the Elections office room number) as both their residence and mailing addresses. Several of the other Elections Office residents give overseas mailing addresses, such as Anuj Rathi of Mumbai, India, Rayko Suzuki of Tokyo, Japan, and Pascal Engi of Bern, Switzerland.
Another 48 of the Precinct 1823 "voters" give as their residence address 511 3rd Ave, which appears to be some sort of private mailbox service.
And then there are the two Messrs. Harder -- Mike Harder of 509 3rd Ave. Apt. 507, who registered to vote on April 28, 2004 and Michael D. Harder of 509 3rd Ave. Apt. 507, who registered to vote on July 20, 2004. Both Messrs. Harder are flagged as permanent absentee voters.
465 (61%) of the Precinct 1823 voters registered during 2004 and nearly all of them "live" at 500 4th Ave. By contrast, only 13% of all of King County voters registered in 2004.
3 members of the List of 573 Magical Mystery Voters are from Precinct 1823, 2 of whom "live" at the Elections Office.
In the machine recount, Precinct 1823 gave 203 votes to Gregoire[Democrat] and 87 votes to Rossi[Republican], for a net Gregoire lead of 116 votes. The only way for Christine Gregoire to win the governor's race is to carry Precinct 1823 in a landslide.
UPDATE: Elections Superintendent Bill Huennekens explained that the residents of the Elections office are "homeless individuals", and that there is a special section of the administrative code which allows for that. He sees nothing unusual in the fact that some of these so-called homeless individuals also give mailing addresses elsewhere. I asked him what the county did to verify the identities of individuals who list the elections office as their residence and he said that they can't be treated any differently from anybody else. I take that to mean, that anybody on the planet who wants to vote (or vote again) can simply claim to be a resident of the King County Elections office.
Count every vote!
UPDATE: The Washington Supreme Court has ruled in the Democrats' favor on the 573 ballots that were mysteriously found in a warehouse some weeks after the election.
Count every vote!
This will amaze you. It looks like the Democrats are going to steal this one. I lifted this info off the internet, but if you want to go to the source, go to powerline and follow the links._Joe
____________________________________________
A few days ago we linked to Stefan Sharkansky's blog Sound Politics, which is covering the recount in the Washington governor's race. Reader Mike Barton pointed out that Sharkansky has been investigating, with rather astonishing results:
Crunching the data in the King [Ukraine] County voter registration file, I came across precinct SEA 37-1823, or simply Precinct 1823, located in downtown Seattle between Elliot Bay and I-5 near the James St. exit.
Precinct 1823 has 763 registered "Active" voters. 527 of them list as their residence address 500 4th Ave -- the King County Administration Building. 241 of these voters specifically note their apartment number as #553, which is the room number of the ... King [Ukraine] County Records and Elections office.
Over 300 of these alleged "voters" give 500 4th Ave. (with or without the Elections office room number) as both their residence and mailing addresses. Several of the other Elections Office residents give overseas mailing addresses, such as Anuj Rathi of Mumbai, India, Rayko Suzuki of Tokyo, Japan, and Pascal Engi of Bern, Switzerland.
Another 48 of the Precinct 1823 "voters" give as their residence address 511 3rd Ave, which appears to be some sort of private mailbox service.
And then there are the two Messrs. Harder -- Mike Harder of 509 3rd Ave. Apt. 507, who registered to vote on April 28, 2004 and Michael D. Harder of 509 3rd Ave. Apt. 507, who registered to vote on July 20, 2004. Both Messrs. Harder are flagged as permanent absentee voters.
465 (61%) of the Precinct 1823 voters registered during 2004 and nearly all of them "live" at 500 4th Ave. By contrast, only 13% of all of King County voters registered in 2004.
3 members of the List of 573 Magical Mystery Voters are from Precinct 1823, 2 of whom "live" at the Elections Office.
In the machine recount, Precinct 1823 gave 203 votes to Gregoire[Democrat] and 87 votes to Rossi[Republican], for a net Gregoire lead of 116 votes. The only way for Christine Gregoire to win the governor's race is to carry Precinct 1823 in a landslide.
UPDATE: Elections Superintendent Bill Huennekens explained that the residents of the Elections office are "homeless individuals", and that there is a special section of the administrative code which allows for that. He sees nothing unusual in the fact that some of these so-called homeless individuals also give mailing addresses elsewhere. I asked him what the county did to verify the identities of individuals who list the elections office as their residence and he said that they can't be treated any differently from anybody else. I take that to mean, that anybody on the planet who wants to vote (or vote again) can simply claim to be a resident of the King County Elections office.
Count every vote!
UPDATE: The Washington Supreme Court has ruled in the Democrats' favor on the 573 ballots that were mysteriously found in a warehouse some weeks after the election.
Count every vote!
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
BLACKFIVE: Want to Send a Marine A Letter?
BLACKFIVE: Want to Send a Marine A Letter?I went to a brief for a new system HQMC has instituted for sending mail to Marines and Sailors attached to Marine Units in Iraq today. The system is for Marines/Sailors, their families and friends who want to send fast correspondence. It is called MotoMail. The site address is: www.motomail.us. The system works as follows:
1. Sender logs onto www.motomail.us to create the letter.
2. The letter is sent to the MotoMail server.
3. The designated USMC post office downloads the letter to a special machine which prints, folds, and seals the
letter.
4. The letter is delivered through unit mail call.
5. Unlike e-mail, it allows a Marine/Sailor to keep a physical reminder of their loved ones with them at all times
and can be read and re-read.
Motomail is a unique Marine Corps system. Delivery transit time is usually within 24 hours. It is free. Senders are required only to know unit addresses, not location. The MotoMail Printer, Folder, and Sealer ensures complete privacy and that contents remain confidential (I had a demonstration and it really does!).
Senders can track letters from submission, download and when it is printed. You cannot send pictures or graphics in your letter (jpegs/gif files).
For people who don't know Marines personally in theatre, but would like to send a note, there is a tab for Support the Troops where people can send messages. These messages are reviewed by the Marine Corp prior to being posted. No individual information can be submitted (troop locations, etc). After they are reviewed, they will be printed out in the mail room and posted in the Chow Halls and Post Offices for everyone to see. Individual emails are NOT posted unless the sender writes their email address in their note.
Currently there are 4 locations that can receive Motomail. Once it is printed, it is distributed accordingly to the various camps.
1. Sender logs onto www.motomail.us to create the letter.
2. The letter is sent to the MotoMail server.
3. The designated USMC post office downloads the letter to a special machine which prints, folds, and seals the
letter.
4. The letter is delivered through unit mail call.
5. Unlike e-mail, it allows a Marine/Sailor to keep a physical reminder of their loved ones with them at all times
and can be read and re-read.
Motomail is a unique Marine Corps system. Delivery transit time is usually within 24 hours. It is free. Senders are required only to know unit addresses, not location. The MotoMail Printer, Folder, and Sealer ensures complete privacy and that contents remain confidential (I had a demonstration and it really does!).
Senders can track letters from submission, download and when it is printed. You cannot send pictures or graphics in your letter (jpegs/gif files).
For people who don't know Marines personally in theatre, but would like to send a note, there is a tab for Support the Troops where people can send messages. These messages are reviewed by the Marine Corp prior to being posted. No individual information can be submitted (troop locations, etc). After they are reviewed, they will be printed out in the mail room and posted in the Chow Halls and Post Offices for everyone to see. Individual emails are NOT posted unless the sender writes their email address in their note.
Currently there are 4 locations that can receive Motomail. Once it is printed, it is distributed accordingly to the various camps.
CBS News | JonBenet: DNA Rules Out Parents | December 20, 2004�09:16:52
CBS News | JonBenet: DNA Rules Out Parents | December 20, 2004�09:16:52: . . . "One of those suspects came to light in a most dramatic way. It was early in 1997, when Alex Hunter, then Boulder district attorney, made a startling announcement: 'I want to say something to the person or persons that took this baby from us. The list of suspects narrows. Soon, there will be no one on the list but you.' ' ' ' '
Those words were written by the FBI as part of a strategy to put the killer and any accomplices under pressure. That strategy may have worked. But just two days later, the Boulder Sheriff's Department discovered a man by the name of Michael Helgoth, dead in his home, an apparent suicide. "
Those words were written by the FBI as part of a strategy to put the killer and any accomplices under pressure. That strategy may have worked. But just two days later, the Boulder Sheriff's Department discovered a man by the name of Michael Helgoth, dead in his home, an apparent suicide. "
Power Line: A Marine's Father Speaks
Here's what the father of a Marine thinks about the latest Rumsfeld criticizm.
Power Line: A Marine's Father Speaks: "December 21, 2004
A Marine's Father Speaks
People sometimes tell us in emails that we don't know much about military matters. That's true. But we have readers who do. This morning, the father of a Marine who is a special operations team leader wrote to offer his thoughts on the 'autopen' controversy:
If [our son] had been killed, we would have been first informed by a visit - in dress blues - from a condolence team typically consisting of two Marines and one Navy Chaplain. We know many families who've received that knock on the door. No letter is required. No words are required. A simple peek thru the view hole in the door and the sight of dress blue blouses, white covers and white gloves tells you all you ever need to know. A letter of condolence from the SecDef is, honestly, not even worth opening. Families are much more interested in hearing from the men who served with their son and from their families. We share the constant knowledge and fear that it could be our door bell being rung. Sec. Rumsfeld doesn't know our son. He's a Lance Corporal. He directs a machine gun team. He is a vital link in the line that protects our way of life. He doesn't fight for his country, he doesn't fight for the SecDef, he doesn't even fight for his mom and dad. He fights for the guys on either side of him and for his team. He fights to secure his objective of the moment, which he may or may not understand or agree with. Sec Rumsfeld doesn't need to take time from his day to sign a form letter of condolence and he certainly doesn't need to take time to figure out what the LCpl was doing when he was killed or what kind of a man he was. His job is to make sure the LCpl didn't die in vain and that only as few LCpl's as possible will have to die to end this war in a successful manner.
Don't get me wrong, we would appreciate the condolence letter from the SecDef, as well as one from the White House and from our Senator and Representative, from the Mayor and Governor. But none would bring back our son. And they are all form letters, signatures be damned. A letter from his 1stSgt, from the men we know in his unit would be a treasure and a comfort.
I don't know what happens in other branches, or even other units. But in 2/4, I know the 1stSgt's personally contact the surviving family with letters, emails and phone calls of condolence.
By the way, we know families of fallen Marines who've been flown to sites where President Bush was speaking. He met with them privately after his event, never any press coverage, and the families have said that - after being given an agenda for their time with the President and being told that he's on a very tight schedule - Mr. Bush talked to every family member as long as they wanted to talk, never hurried anyone, cried with family, hugged everyone and they all felt like he had nothing else to do for the rest of the day but bring comfort to them. For that, George W. Bush has my eternal respect and gratitude. And there was NEVER one word of publicity surrounding any of these meetings with families. (I have pictures to dissuade doubters.)
Bottom line, we support Sec Rumsfeld. The people who are making a big deal about this have their heads up their collective a****. They need to have a serious priority check on what people in positions of responsibility should be doing with their time. They should also chat with some military families if they could figure out how to contact them.
Posted by Hindrocket"
Power Line: A Marine's Father Speaks: "December 21, 2004
A Marine's Father Speaks
People sometimes tell us in emails that we don't know much about military matters. That's true. But we have readers who do. This morning, the father of a Marine who is a special operations team leader wrote to offer his thoughts on the 'autopen' controversy:
If [our son] had been killed, we would have been first informed by a visit - in dress blues - from a condolence team typically consisting of two Marines and one Navy Chaplain. We know many families who've received that knock on the door. No letter is required. No words are required. A simple peek thru the view hole in the door and the sight of dress blue blouses, white covers and white gloves tells you all you ever need to know. A letter of condolence from the SecDef is, honestly, not even worth opening. Families are much more interested in hearing from the men who served with their son and from their families. We share the constant knowledge and fear that it could be our door bell being rung. Sec. Rumsfeld doesn't know our son. He's a Lance Corporal. He directs a machine gun team. He is a vital link in the line that protects our way of life. He doesn't fight for his country, he doesn't fight for the SecDef, he doesn't even fight for his mom and dad. He fights for the guys on either side of him and for his team. He fights to secure his objective of the moment, which he may or may not understand or agree with. Sec Rumsfeld doesn't need to take time from his day to sign a form letter of condolence and he certainly doesn't need to take time to figure out what the LCpl was doing when he was killed or what kind of a man he was. His job is to make sure the LCpl didn't die in vain and that only as few LCpl's as possible will have to die to end this war in a successful manner.
Don't get me wrong, we would appreciate the condolence letter from the SecDef, as well as one from the White House and from our Senator and Representative, from the Mayor and Governor. But none would bring back our son. And they are all form letters, signatures be damned. A letter from his 1stSgt, from the men we know in his unit would be a treasure and a comfort.
I don't know what happens in other branches, or even other units. But in 2/4, I know the 1stSgt's personally contact the surviving family with letters, emails and phone calls of condolence.
By the way, we know families of fallen Marines who've been flown to sites where President Bush was speaking. He met with them privately after his event, never any press coverage, and the families have said that - after being given an agenda for their time with the President and being told that he's on a very tight schedule - Mr. Bush talked to every family member as long as they wanted to talk, never hurried anyone, cried with family, hugged everyone and they all felt like he had nothing else to do for the rest of the day but bring comfort to them. For that, George W. Bush has my eternal respect and gratitude. And there was NEVER one word of publicity surrounding any of these meetings with families. (I have pictures to dissuade doubters.)
Bottom line, we support Sec Rumsfeld. The people who are making a big deal about this have their heads up their collective a****. They need to have a serious priority check on what people in positions of responsibility should be doing with their time. They should also chat with some military families if they could figure out how to contact them.
Posted by Hindrocket"
Sunday, December 19, 2004
MY WAR: In The Service Of The Queen
MY WAR: In The Service Of The Queen Great analysis by a soldier.
Belmont Club
Belmont Club
Currently, humanity is fueled by 1000 1 gigawatt coal-fired power plants, 400 1 gigawatt oil-fired plants, 250 gas-fired plants, 350 nuclear power stations, 500 gigawatts of hydropower, 750 million fossil fueled vehicles, 130 exajoules for heating and cooling, 50 exajoules from the burning of traditional biomass.
Doing the math, in order to double the world's energy supplies over the next 50 years, the world will need to build, among other things, the equivalent of 2750 new 1 gigawatt natural gas-fired power stations, 1000 new coal-fired 1 gigawatt power plants with carbon capture, 1.5 million windmills deployed over a bit less than 300,000 square miles, 2150 new nuclear plants, 1500 new 1 gigawatt hydropower stations, not to mention new solar and biofuel technologies.
Recall that (Tony) Blair and others are calling for emission reductions of 60% by 2050.
YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE!!!!!
Currently, humanity is fueled by 1000 1 gigawatt coal-fired power plants, 400 1 gigawatt oil-fired plants, 250 gas-fired plants, 350 nuclear power stations, 500 gigawatts of hydropower, 750 million fossil fueled vehicles, 130 exajoules for heating and cooling, 50 exajoules from the burning of traditional biomass.
Doing the math, in order to double the world's energy supplies over the next 50 years, the world will need to build, among other things, the equivalent of 2750 new 1 gigawatt natural gas-fired power stations, 1000 new coal-fired 1 gigawatt power plants with carbon capture, 1.5 million windmills deployed over a bit less than 300,000 square miles, 2150 new nuclear plants, 1500 new 1 gigawatt hydropower stations, not to mention new solar and biofuel technologies.
Recall that (Tony) Blair and others are calling for emission reductions of 60% by 2050.
YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE!!!!!
BLACKFIVE: The Heart of America
BLACKFIVE: The Heart of America: "December 16, 2004
The Heart of America
Via Seamus, this email is a thank you from a Marine Gunnery Sergeant in Iraq. It was sent two days ago:
Just wanted to write to you and tell you another story about an experience we had over here.
As you know, I asked for toys for the Iraqi children over here and several people (Americans that support us) sent them over by the box. On each patrol we take through the city, we take as many toys as will fit in our pockets and hand them out as we can. The kids take the toys and run to show them off as if they were worth a million bucks. We are as friendly as we can be to everyone we see, but especially so with the kids. Most of them don't have any idea what is going on and are completely innocent in all of this.
On one such patrol, our lead security vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. This is not normal and is very unsafe, so the following vehicles began to inquire over the radio. The lead vehicle reported a little girl sitting in the road and said she just would not budge. The command vehicle told the lead to simply go around her and to be kind as they did. The street was wide enough to allow this maneuver and so they waved to her as they drove around.
As the vehicles went around her, I soon saw her sitting there and in her arms she was clutching a little bear that we had handed her a few patrols back. Feeling an immediate connection to the girl, I radioed that we were going to stop. The rest of the convoy paused and I got out the make sure she was OK. The little girl looked scared and concerned, but there was a warmth in her eyes toward me. As I knelt down to talk to her, she moved over and pointed to a mine in the road.
Immediately a cordon was set as the Marine convoy assumed a defensive posture around the site. The mine was destroyed in place.
It was the heart of an American that sent that toy. It was the heart of an American that gave that toy to that little girl. It was the heart of an American that protected that convoy from that mine. Sure, she was a little Iraqi girl and she had no knowledge of purple mountain's majesty or fruited plains. It was a heart of acceptance, of tolerance, of peace and grace, even through the inconveniences of conflict that saved that convoy from hitting that mine. Those attributes are what keep Americans hearts beating. She may have no affiliation at all with the United States, but she knows what it is to be brave and if we can continue to support her and her new government, she will know what it is to be free. Isn't that what Americans are, the free and the brave?
If you sent over a toy or a Marine (US Service member) you took part in this. You are a reason that Iraq has to believe in a better future. Thank you so much for supporting us and for supporting our cause over here.
Semper Fi,
Mark
GySgt / USMC
The Heart of America
Via Seamus, this email is a thank you from a Marine Gunnery Sergeant in Iraq. It was sent two days ago:
Just wanted to write to you and tell you another story about an experience we had over here.
As you know, I asked for toys for the Iraqi children over here and several people (Americans that support us) sent them over by the box. On each patrol we take through the city, we take as many toys as will fit in our pockets and hand them out as we can. The kids take the toys and run to show them off as if they were worth a million bucks. We are as friendly as we can be to everyone we see, but especially so with the kids. Most of them don't have any idea what is going on and are completely innocent in all of this.
On one such patrol, our lead security vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. This is not normal and is very unsafe, so the following vehicles began to inquire over the radio. The lead vehicle reported a little girl sitting in the road and said she just would not budge. The command vehicle told the lead to simply go around her and to be kind as they did. The street was wide enough to allow this maneuver and so they waved to her as they drove around.
As the vehicles went around her, I soon saw her sitting there and in her arms she was clutching a little bear that we had handed her a few patrols back. Feeling an immediate connection to the girl, I radioed that we were going to stop. The rest of the convoy paused and I got out the make sure she was OK. The little girl looked scared and concerned, but there was a warmth in her eyes toward me. As I knelt down to talk to her, she moved over and pointed to a mine in the road.
Immediately a cordon was set as the Marine convoy assumed a defensive posture around the site. The mine was destroyed in place.
It was the heart of an American that sent that toy. It was the heart of an American that gave that toy to that little girl. It was the heart of an American that protected that convoy from that mine. Sure, she was a little Iraqi girl and she had no knowledge of purple mountain's majesty or fruited plains. It was a heart of acceptance, of tolerance, of peace and grace, even through the inconveniences of conflict that saved that convoy from hitting that mine. Those attributes are what keep Americans hearts beating. She may have no affiliation at all with the United States, but she knows what it is to be brave and if we can continue to support her and her new government, she will know what it is to be free. Isn't that what Americans are, the free and the brave?
If you sent over a toy or a Marine (US Service member) you took part in this. You are a reason that Iraq has to believe in a better future. Thank you so much for supporting us and for supporting our cause over here.
Semper Fi,
Mark
GySgt / USMC
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