Mockingbird

2005-09-08T23:03:00.000-04:00

I hate Being Scooped!
I was preparing a blog post almost identical to this story by Fox News'
Major Garrett
I guess when it is your job, you have more time to read the Louisiana Emergency Operation Plan and contrast it with statements made by Louisiana Officials. I will add this link to the American Red Cross that explains why they were not in New Orleans.

2005-07-28T23:17:00.000-04:00

Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Roadside Bombs Kill 2 GIs in Iraq

"Roadside bombs killed two American soldiers in northern Baghdad (search) and ignited a train carrying fuel in the south of Iraq's capital, killing two Iraqis and wounding six others, officials said Thursday.

The bombing that killed the two U.S. soldiers came Wednesday during a patrol by soldiers assigned to the Army's Task Force Baghdad , the military said on Thursday. Another U.S. soldier was wounded."

From my information, the third solider in this article is in bad shape and needs everybody's prayers. If you knew the mission these solders were on, this incident would make you sick!

2005-07-24T23:22:00.000-04:00

LANCE WINS AGAIN!

There is something about the US and Texas flag flying over Paris that makes me laugh!

2005-07-24T18:42:00.000-04:00

Bad Form!

This story From PA really raises my Blood pressure!

"The family of a Marine who was killed in Iraq is furious with Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll for showing up uninvited at his funeral this week, handing out her business card and then saying "our government" is against the war...."

"In a phone interview, Goodrich said the funeral service was packed with people "who wanted to tell his family how Joe had impacted their lives."

Then, suddenly, "one uninvited guest made an appearance, Catherine Baker Knoll."

She sat down next to a Goodrich family member and, during the distribution of communion, said, "Who are you?" Then she handed the family member one of her business cards, which Goodrich said she still has.

"Knoll felt this was an appropriate time to campaign and impose her will on us," Goodrich said. "I am amazed and disgusted Knoll finds a Marine funeral a prime place to campaign.""

All this is going to do is to strengthen the GOP's resolve to take out the Rendell administration. Does Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll really thing she can beat Lynn Swann'? Now, if Bill Scranton can hold up his end I would be happy! Couple this incident with Rendell's reluctance to extend voting for soldiers abroad , and he may be facing real trouble.

Hat tip to Instapundit.com -

2005-07-21T23:22:00.000-04:00

The China Syndrome

Adding to the disscussion in this post at Vodkapundit.
This story a raises some important questions about the intentions of our Chinese friends:

" The Chinese government said it would replace the link between the yuan and the dollar and instead allow the exchange rate to be set by a basket of currencies it has yet to name. The government immediately strengthened the state-set exchange rate of the yuan to 8.11 to the U.S. dollar, up from 8.277."

Hmm, I for one would not want my currency tied to a Nation I was about to engage in outright hostility against (Taiwan and it's US allies) or at least tried to openly hurt by driving up the cost of oil. Maybe some of the boys in DC knew what they are doing when they all but quashed the Unocal deal!

I know this has been the problem with US Chinese trade relations for some time, but I question the timing of the announcement. Couple this with the proclamation that China is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the US and the recent problem our two nations have had such has: Arms Sales to Taiwan and tensions over trade. If i did not know better, I would say that the China was treating the US like a Rival Superpower.

2005-07-20T20:25:00.000-04:00

Warp speed Ahead!

Rest in Peace Scotty!

2005-07-08T00:31:00.000-04:00

Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

2005-07-07T23:28:00.000-04:00

Rampant Speculation!

Does this seem to be just a coincidence?
September 11 2001:

8:45 a.m.: A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center
9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center
9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon
10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93 crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania

July 7 2005:
8:51 a.m. : A bomb explodes near Liverpool underground station
8:56 a.m. : a bomb explodes near Russell square station
9:17 a.m.: a bomb explodes near Edgware Road station
9:47 a.m.: a bomb explodes near the British Medical Association

Is this just a case of coincidence or did the perpetrators of this devious act want to send a message?

My whole problem with this attack is that there has yet to be a confirmed report of a suicide bomber. I am partially wondering if this is not a domestic or international anarchy group who took this opportunity to protest the G-8 while setting up the world community. What effect would it have on the War on Terror (GWT) if the western community condemns these attacks as those of Islamic radicals and then a "local" organization comes forth as the perpetrators? This might be a case of bait and switch!

Oh and BY THE WAY! I AM BACK!

I took some time off the blog, but now that things have become interesting again, SCOTUS nomination(s) and the like, I will be posting regularly. AND BEWARE I am well rested!

2005-05-03T20:28:00.000-04:00

Request For assistance:

I know a solider that is currently serving in Iraq and is requesting assistance for a worthy cause his battalion has chosen to undertake. Below is a letter I received from him and if you feel like you can help, e-mail me and I will pass along the contact information:

Dear all,

"I normally do not do this type of thing, but this is a worth while cause.

The orphanage is for special needs children in Baghdad and is run by the Sisters of the Mother Therese order.

They could really use your help with some basic supplies such as diapers, baby formula, and any of a variety of baby products.

I do not want to convey the wrong message here and make the situation into something it is not. There are not dying children at the Orphanage and they are not being mistreated. In fact, the sisters do a very good job taking care of them.

We are assisting the sisters in helping them prepare for the summer months and a projected increase in population at the orphanage.

Also, on a personal note, it really does lift the spirits of our soldiers to visit the children. It really is a reoccurring highlight of my time here and
in a small measure is helping to make a Iraq a better place to live for the local folks.

If you can support this, know of someone, or know of an organization that would like to support this, please email me and let me know. If you can support this, please send me a picture of person or organization that is donating. We would like to recognize these folks for their assistance"

Baghdad Orphanage

The soldiers of Task Force 720th Military Police “Soldiers of the Gauntlet” sponsor an orphanage run by the Mother Theresa Sisters located in downtown Baghdad. The Soldiers of the Gauntlet recently deliver supplies and brought Easter cheer to the sometimes forgotten children of Baghdad. It was a great experience and a real morale booster to see the efforts of the Task Force Soldiers hard work in Iraq come to fruition. It was a heartwarming experience to see the smiles and joy of the children brought by a simple visit from the Soldiers of the Gauntlet. The orphanage houses 20 “special needs” infants that range from newborn to 4 years old. The staff consists of 7sisters of the Mother Theresa Order and one doctor to take care of the children. The sisters come from a variety of backgrounds to include Kenya, India, Poland, and Bangladesh. The sisters gave us a tour of the facility grounds which houses a chapel, jungle gym, kitchen, and garden. The facility is going to be sponsored by TF 720 MP throughout our year in country. We will conduct periodic visits to the facility in order to visit with the children, help out the staff, and to bring necessary supplies to the orphanage. The orphanage can always use supplies ranging from wet wipes, baby powder, stuffed animals, baby vitamins, and pedialite to take care of the children.

2005-04-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

Why Not!

The title of This AP article poses the question, "Africa Asks if Time Right for African Pope" Well, it would not be the first time: :

Pope Saint Victor 1

Saint Victor was born in Africa and bore a Latin name as most African did at that time. Saint Victor was the fifteenth pope and a native of black Africa. He served from 186 A.D. until 197 A.D. He served during the reign of Emperor Septimus Severus, also African, who had led Roman legions in Britain. Some of the known contributions of Victor were his reaffirming the holy feast of Easter to be held on Sunday as Pius has done. As a matter of fact, he called Theophilous, Bishop of Alexandria, on the carpet for not doing this. He also condemned and excommunicated Theodore of Byzantium because of the denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ. He added acolytes to the attendance of the clergy. He was crowned with martyrdom. He was pope for ten years, two months and ten days. He was buried near the body of the apostle Peter, the first pope in Vatican. Some reports relate that St. Victor died in 198 A.D. of natural causes. Other accounts stated he suffered martyrdom under Servus. He is buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City near the "Convessio."

Pope Saint Gelasius 1

Saint Gelasius was born in Rome of African parents and was a member of the Roman clergy from youth. Of the three African popes, Gelasius seems to have been the busiest. He occupied the holy papacy four years, eight months and eighteen days from 492 A.D. until 496 A.D. Gelasius followed up Militades' work with the Manicheans. He exiled them from Rome and burned their books before the doors of the basilica of the holy Mary. He delivered the city of Rome from the peril of famine. He was a writer of strong letters to people of all rank and classes. He denounced Lupercailia, a fertility rite celebration. He asked them sternly why the gods they worshipped had not provided calm seas so the grain ships could have reached Rome in time for the winter. He wrote to Femina, a wealthy woman of rank, and asked her to have the lands of St. Peter, taken by the barbarians and the Romans, be returned to the church. The lands were needed for the poor who were flocking to Rome. His theory on the relations between the Church and the state are explained in the Gelasian Letter to the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius. He was known for his austerity of life and liberality to the poor.

Pope Saint Miliades 1

Saint Miltiades was one of the Church's Black Popes. Militades occupied the papacy from 311 to 314 A.D. serving four years, seven months and eight days. Militiades decreed that none of the faithful should fast on Sunday or on the fifth day of the week ...because this was the custom of the pagans. He also found residing in Rome a Persian based religion call Manichaenism. He furthered decreed that consecrated offerings should be sent throughout the churches from the pope's consecration. This was call leaven. It was Militiades who led the church to final victory over the Roman Empire. Militiades was buried on the famous Appain Way.

While I have no problems with an African or Latin American Pope(they are the fastest growing segments of the Catholic religion) and I certainly have no problems with a Traditionalist pope, I would prefer a mid-eastern pope, say a Lebanese pope in the model of Pope John Paul II. Hey it worked to defeat Communism, it just might work to defeat RADICAL ISLAM!

2005-04-02T17:31:00.000-05:00

"I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you."

The New York Times > Washington > Ex-Clinton Adviser to Admit Taking Classified Papers

2005-04-01T01:10:00.000-05:00

OH SANDY!

The New York Times > Ex-Clinton Adviser to Admit Taking Classified Papers

Will someone please tell me how these people governed the country for eight years again?

2005-04-01T01:01:00.000-05:00

"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End?."

Lets hope that Saint Malachy
is Wrong!

2005-03-17T22:08:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's day!

After reading this post by annika, I feel compelled to respond.

Just remember that an Irishman is forced to converse with the almighty in order to speak with his equal!

2005-02-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

Enter the Matrix!

RICE 08!!

I thought that outfit came with twin 9mm pistols? I guess she left them in her purse!

Hat tip to Power Line

2005-02-11T01:47:00.000-05:00

Class is in session!

I like this article about Secretary Rice's "The Education of Europe tour."

Some good quotes:

"There cannot be an absence of moral content in American foreign policy," she says. "Europeans giggle at this, but we are not European, we are American, and we have different principles."

"How, then, has America allowed itself to be seen as interested chiefly in oil? Partly, it must be said, because Miss Rice's predecessor, Colin Powell, only half-believed in what his President was doing. His own approach - and that of the State Department generally - was in fact rather European.

He was ready to appease tyrants in an old-fashioned, Cold War way ("He may be a son-of-a-bitch, but he's our son-of-a-bitch"). Miss Rice, by contrast, understands that dysfunctional states teem with terrorists, however notionally pro-Western their leaders ("He may be our son-of-a-bitch, but he's a son-of-a-bitch")."

I think the article is a bit hard on Powell, but it does make a good point. Powell and most of the European political intelligentsia do follow the Twentieth Century manifestation Realpolitik that is often associated with Morgenthau or Kissinger.( Twentieth Century Realpolitik is not the real, Bismarckian Realpolitik, but that is another post) What we see coming from this Administration is a relatively new manifestation of Foreign policy. Rather than dealing with any country, despite their own political corruption or oppression, this administration believes that democracy and freedom are in the best interest of the nation. I tend to agree with them. Free democracies do not attack other free democracies!

2005-02-09T01:55:00.000-05:00

Hey, I'm red too!

With America at war, Hollywood follows"
"In a reflection of America's conflict in Iraq, a proliferation of TV and film projects is focusing on the U.S. military, the war or both."

My favorite line:

"Not since World War II has Hollywood so embraced an ongoing conflict. It took years for pop culture to tackle the Korean and Vietnam wars, and it took time before the country was ready to be entertained by those politically charged conflicts."

I suppose the author of the article lacks access to google because if he bothered to use it, he would have found these Korean War Movies"

An Annapolis Story
Released: 1956
Director: Don Siegel
Staring: John Derek, Diana Lynn

Battle Circus
Released: 1953
Director: Richard Brooks
Staring: Humphrey Bogart, June Allyson, Keenan Wynn, Robert Keith

Battle Hymn
Released: 1956
Director: Douglas Sirk
Staring: Rock Hudson, Anna Kashfi, Dan Duryea, Don DeFore

The Bridges at Toko-Ri
Released: 1954
Director: Mark Robson
Staring: William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney

Men of the Fighting Lady
Released: 1954
Director: Andrew Marton
Staring: Van Johnson, Frank Lovejoy, Walter Pidgeon, Dewey Martin

Or these movies about Vietnam (some of which were actually made during the period)

The Anderson Platoon (1967)

China Gate (1957)

The Green Berets (1968)

The Lost Command (1966)

I found it funny that the author characterizes 5 TV shows and movies about Iraq as a "proliferation of TV and film projects"

My thought is, more then three years after 911, we have yet to see a film or TV series about Afghanistan and the events surrounding 911(absent Mike Moores "films") and it has taken, 2 years to make a movie about Gulf War II(we are still waiting on a credible movie about Gulf War I). Let us also not forget the plots of move such as collateral damage and the Some of all fears that was changed as to not make Muslims look like the enemy.

I think that the public is less squeamish about film portrayals of the war we are engaged then Hollywood is.

2005-02-02T13:47:00.000-05:00

Vodka saves Democracy in the Ukraine!

Eastern Ukraine is heavily ethnic Russian. The main industry is coal. The miners are rough, tough, and hate Yushchenko for wanting to take Ukraine away from Russia and toward the West," writes Wheeler. "It was arranged for more than a thousand of them to be taken from Donetsk, the capital of the coal-mining region, by bus and train to Kiev, where, armed with clubs and blunt tools, they would physically beat up the Orange Revolutionaries. Such mass violence was not only to disperse the demonstrators but serve as an excuse for the government to declare martial law, suspending the Ukrainian Parliament (the Rada) and elections indefinitely."

Now comes the secret weapon: vodka.

"When the miners got on their buses and trains, they found to their joy case after case of vodka – just for them. When they arrived in Kiev, trucks awaited them filled with more cases of vodka – all free provided by 'friends' of the Donetsk coal miners. Completely soused, they never made it to Independence Square. Too hammered blind to cause any violence at all, they had a merry time, passed out and were shipped back to Donetsk."

Wheeler's column goes on to explain who provided the liquor: teams of Porter Goss' CIA working with their counterparts in British MI6 intelligence.

Hat tip to Instapundit

2005-01-31T01:45:00.000-05:00

The new symbol of freedom

It gives new meaning to the phrase, "giving somebody the finger"

With all of the
Doom and Gloom and Doom and Gloom that preceded the election, I expect some to admit they were wrong!

What was I thinking, the ney-sayers will just move Move the Goalpost, again!

I am very happy that the election went off as well as coud be expected and the ney-sayersWERE WRONG!

Not to be a wet blanket, but I expect that the terror strikes will increase in the next few weeks. I surmise that the terrorists decided not to strike on an obvious day at obvious targets. I think they will use a relaxed security atmosphere to strike at the ballot counting places and I can see assassinations of elected officials in the next few months.

But for now, let us revel in today's triumph, for, victory is still long ways away.

"That these are our grievances which we have thus laid before his majesty, with that freedom of language and sentiment which becomes a free people claiming their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate." --Thomas Jefferson

2005-01-29T02:53:00.000-05:00

Tinfoil hat?

The FAA is securing airspace for Congressmen around The Greenbrier. Considering The Greenbrier use to be a Bomb shelter for members of Congress, I must wonder, do they know something we don't?

2005-01-28T02:48:00.000-05:00

PA, the land of liberty (I am, of course bias)

I love this story by a PA National Guard Member:

With the upcoming election here and the recent inauguration of our own president to a second term, I let my thoughts drift back to the horrible dark times of the 2000 election. I remember the chants of the protesters on both sides claiming that many had died for our right to vote, and they would not be denied. I remember one pundit calling the Florida troubles the biggest crisis democracy had ever seen. Oh really?

My memory is a bit fuzzy for about three or four days after that election, because I didn't sleep a wink and mainlined coffee until sometime the following Friday. I don't remember every detail, the moves and counter-moves. What I do remember is this: No shots were fired, no bombs went off and there were no soldiers from either side roaming the streets. If that is a crisis, then the situation in Iraq is hopeless.

Here's the good part: It's not hopeless. Every Iraqi I talk to has hope. I've written several times on the power of hope, and right here is a living, breathing 24-million-strong testament to it. As long as some hope endures for the Iraqi people, my time here will not have been wasted.

Read the rest! Sgt. Thomas Foreman Jr is making PA proud!

2005-01-26T15:09:00.000-05:00

Inauguration Pictures

I finally got off my lazy butt and posted my pictures from the President's Inauguration. The first four pictures are from the Celebration of freedom the night before the Inauguration.

2005-01-12T02:03:00.000-05:00

Good news!

"WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. government ran a $1 billion budget surplus in December, helped by a rise in corporate tax payments, the Congressional Budget Office said in its latest budget report released on Friday."

When will people realize that Budget projections are about as accurate as psychic readings! But this is down right SCARY " It(the CBO) will update its forecast for 2005 and 2006-2015 on January 25."
How can they possibly project deficits or surpluses for nine years. Do they have a crystal ball to tell them all the unforeseen expenditures the federal government may have in the next nine years?

2005-01-11T13:49:00.000-05:00

If only he wins!

Howard Dean Enters DNC Race

WASHINGTON (AP) Former presidential candidate Howard Dean, once the early front-runner for the Democratic nomination whose candidacy stumbled, has decided to seek the party’s chairmanship, several Democrats said Tuesday.

If we can't have Terry Mcauliffe, Dean will do just fine!

2005-01-11T13:38:00.000-05:00

The Larger army debate!

Instapundit links to an article by Kevin Drum about how Congress would not have approved the Iraq war had the plan included an increase in the size of the US army.

"Of course, no one seriously suggests that we should strip every last soldier from Europe, North Korea, and our other overseas deployments. Realistically, then, the maximum number of troops available for use in Iraq is probably pretty close to the number we have now: 300,000 rotated annually, for a presence of about 150,000 at any given time.

The only way to appreciably increase this is to raise the Army's end strength by several divisions, and this is exactly what Kagan and Sullivan think Rumsfeld has been too stubborn about opposing. But as they acknowledge, doing this would take a couple of years — and as they don't acknowledge, it would have made the war politically impossible. The invasion of Iraq almost certainly would never have happened if Rumsfeld had told Congress in 2002 that he wanted them to approve three or four (or more) new divisions in preparation for a war in 2004 or 2005."

I agree with most of what Kevin is saying except for this "if Rumsfeld had told Congress in 2002 that he wanted them to approve three or four (or more) new divisions in preparation for a war in 2004 or 2005" That sentence is predicated on Rumsfeld asking to increase the army's size. As this article suggests, we are currently increasing the Army's size without congressional approval.

"Top Pentagon officials say the Army will pay for a temporary increase in troop levels through emergency supplemental funds in fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005... Historically, troop level increases are planned and funded with congressional approval through regular appropriations. But last week, the Army's top uniformed official announced an increase of about 30,000 soldiers over the next four years using emergency authorities granted to the administration, in an effort to lessen the burden on soldiers on protracted deployment in Iraq."

My point, that many of the criticisms of troop levels are predicated on the Idea that the US Army HAS NOT increased since the War on Terrorism began. I would not be surprised is the US army is Two divisions larger today, than it was on September 10th 2001.

2005-01-07T01:46:00.000-05:00

Semper Fi

Marine sniper credited with longest confirmed kill in Iraq

"Sgt. Herbert B. Hancock, chief scout sniper, sniper platoon, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, is credited with the longest confirmed kill in Iraq, hitting enemy terrorists from 1,050 yards in Fallujah Nov. 11, 2004. Hancock, a 35-year-old activated reservist and police officer from Bryan, Texas, has been a Marine Corps sniper since 1992. Photo by: Cpl. Paul W. Leicht"

Hat tip to Annika'

2004-11-24T01:36:00.000-05:00

PSYCHE

Dan Rather has announced that he will step down as anchorman for the CBS Nightly News in March. He is going to continue to be an investigative "reporter" for 60 minutes. I suppose that the anchor position was getting in the way of his advocacy "journalism." As a full-time 60 minutes reporter, he will no longer be encumbered by facts.

No replacement have been announced, but possible candidates include Baghdad Bob, Michael Moore, or Terry McAuliffe.

2004-11-18T01:15:00.000-05:00

Ironies Ahead!

"A top aide to new CIA Director Porter Goss warned the associate deputy director of counterintelligence about unauthorized leaks to the media."
How do we know about this? The story was leaked!
I am sorry, BUT WILL Bureaucrats IN ALL agencies JUST SHUT UP AND DO YOUR JOB!
Let the decision maker do their job, the bureaucrats do theirs!

2004-11-16T13:21:00.000-05:00

The ACLU, Defenders of "freedom"(that is there own version of freedom)

The ACLU has once again saved the Union from that vial group known as The Boy Scouts!

"CHICAGO, Nov. 15 -- The Pentagon has agreed to warn military bases worldwide that they should not directly sponsor Boy Scout troops, partially resolving claims that the government has improperly supported a group that requires members to believe in God."

{Satire alert} When asked what alternatives young men may seek to fill their time, an ACLU representative suggested a good drug den or house of ill repute rather then the vial moralistic society of the Boy Scouts.

I suppose that they also have a problem with teaching Young men to shoot.
And people wonder why there is a Red, Blue state divide in America.

On my honor
I will do best,
to do my duty
to GOD and Country
and to obey the Scout Law
To help other people at all times
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake,
and morally straight.

2004-11-16T01:51:00.000-05:00

A Specter in the Room

I have not commented on the ongoing battle that conservatives(of which I consider myself) have waged against Senator Arlen Specter's bid to become Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I have many concerns about the ramifications of a Specter chairmanship and the results of the efforts to deny him the position.

First, I believe that High level pressure was put on Specter early on in the PA primary, and specter had to have made some concessions to get active White House support in order for Specter to win the primary. Therefore I do not think Specter will be very active early on in the nomination process opposing nominees, especially for lower level district and appellate vacancies. This ties into my second concern. I fear that if Specter decides to go off the reservation on an early term SCOTUS nominee or a high profile Appellate position, he will harm PA greatly in that all of his pet projects, his initiatives, and funding that will benefit PA will be blocked for the remainder of his tenure. Finally, I fear that if Specter is denied the Chairmanship or his projects harmed as a result of his actions in the Judiciary Committee, He may resign from the Senate(His ego may not allow for this). If he is to resign, our Democratic Governor will get to appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term. This is not very important now, considering the Republicans have a 55 members majority, but any loss in the majority will hurt the party's ability to govern effectively.

I do not see a bright side to the "Specter" issue. I think that all the public and behind the scenes pressure is good in that it shines the light on him and may make him allow nominees come a vote that he may have "Borked" without such pressure. But, I think his ego may get the best of him because he may be looking for a "Legacy" which may allow him to rationalize destroying nominees in committee. If Specter tows the line on the BIG nominees, I think the White House, and many conservatives would not mind giving Specter a few wins with District and low profile appellate nominees, but the Big nominees are non-negotiable. If Specter gets the Chair, The White House, and any conservatives Justice on the SCOTUS looking to retire, should do so near term while Specter can be contained. At most, if we hold off for two years when, hopefully, we have a Republican Governor(preferably Bill Scranton) then if Specter is forced out, it would not matter as much.

2004-11-15T23:10:00.000-05:00

Well It looks like the Warrior Princess may get promoted to Secretary of State! I wonder if she is going to have the same roll in State that Porter Goss has in the CIA, you Know, draining the Swamp:

"The agency is being purged on instructions from the White House," said a former senior CIA official who maintains close ties to both the agency and to the White House. "Goss was given instructions ... to get rid of those soft leakers and liberal Democrats. The CIA is looked on by the White House as a hotbed of liberals and people who have been obstructing the president's agenda."

Just remember that Secretary of State use to be the preferred position to make a run for President! She may just be setting herself up for 2008, that is, if she can't become the Commissioner of the NFL!

2004-11-15T11:23:00.000-05:00

America, F#$K Yea!

You have to love this:

"The soldiers shared laughs during the more surreal moments, such as when a psychological-operations truck rolled through the city blaring the theme song to the movie "Team America: World Police." In the film, Rambo-like puppets hunt terrorists and blow up the Eiffel Tower in the process. There is no need to thank us, the puppets tell outraged Parisians."

2004-11-13T01:42:00.000-05:00

Misplaced priorities?

In what kind of world do the executives at CBS live where they Fire a producer for cutting into CSI to announce the death of a terrorist, BUT refuses to take action when one of their major "NEWS" programs tries to pass off forged documents to attack the President?

2004-11-11T02:25:00.000-05:00

Yasser Arafat Dead!

This could be the greatest opportunity for peace or touch off a civil war inside Palestine. I fear that the differing factions, the PLO, the PA, Hamas, Hezbala, and various nation states like Syria and Iran will all fracture causing a civil war. The losers, will be the Palestinian people. Conversely, with the end of Arafat's Road block to peace, real advancements might be made towards a lasting peace in the region. either way, his death with have an interesting effect geopolitics for the next few months. I f Syria tries to prevent any regional peace process, I believe that the bullseye they already have on them will turn into a red glowing fireball.
Anyway, May God have mercy on Arafat's Soul!

2004-11-09T23:37:00.000-05:00

Drawing the Wrong Conclusions(OR fun with math)

Much has been made about the rising up of the evangelical vote in last Tuesday's election. I do not believe that the large evangelical turnout tells the complete story of the 2004 election.

The following is a list of candidates and their vote totals from 2000 that ran on either a conservative or Libertarian ticket:
Harry Browne (LBT, LBT-IA, LBF, I) 384,000
Patrick J. Buchanan (REF, RFM, FRE, BP, BR, CF, IDP, RTL, I) 449,000
Howard Phillips (CON, CST, AIP, AMC, BP, CNC, CPF, IAP, UST, I) 98,000
Notice that these candidates received 1,764,000 votes nationwide.

Now look at the candidates that ran on either a conservative or libertarian ticket in 2004:
Badnarik 383,000
Peroutka 132,000
Notice that these candidates only received 515,000 votes nationwide. That is a difference of 1,249,000 votes between 2000 and 2004.

Why is this important, well lets look at Ohio:
In 2000:
Harry Browne (LBT, LBT-IA, LBF, I) received 13,475 votes
Patrick J. Buchanan (REF, RFM, FRE, BP, BR, CF, IDP, RTL, I) -26,724
Howard Phillips (CON, CST, AIP, AMC, BP, CNC, CPF, IAP, UST, I) -3,823
That is 44,022 votes in Ohio for conservative and libertarian candidates.

In 2004:
Badnarik received 14,331 votes and
Peroutka- 11,614votes.

That is 25,654 votes for conservative and libertarian candidates and a net difference of 18,368. Assuming that those who voted in 2000 for a third party voted for Bush in 2004, it can be determined that those 18,368 votes did have an effect in that the margin for Bush in Ohio was only 136,000 votes and those 18,368 could have constituted 14% of Bush's margin of Victory(18,368/136,000).

The point in all of this, and I am not sure I made it, is that while evangelical turnout may have helped Republicans keep pace with the Democrat's increase in turnout, I would suggest that Conservative and Libertarian voters who normally cast their vote for a Third party, cast their vote on Tuesday for Bush and helped put him over the 50% mark.

Lets look at it this way. In 2004, 1,249,000 fewer voters cast their ballots for a Libertarian/conservative candidates then did in 2000 while voter turnout increased. If those voters followed their normal voting pattern(assuming they voted for Bush this time around), Bush would have received 58,527,000 voters rather than 59,770,000 and he would have dropped from 51% of the popular vote to 50%. (Bush's vote total{58, 527,000}/ total votes{117,017,627})

Now a 1% swing does seem trivial, but I believe that the psychological factor of breaking the 50% barrier allows Bush to claim a larger mandate than would a 49% or 50% total. Also, the 1,249,000 voters who did not vote for a conservative/libertarian candidate could have constituted 36% of Bush margin of Victory Nationally( The difference in third party Lib/Con voters from 2000 to 2004{1,249,000}/Margin of Victory {3,463,000})

Now this all highly speculative and I would NEVER claim to be a master of statistics, but it does seem to suggest that conservative/libertarian voters may have come "Home" to the GOP for this election. These voters generally support pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, strict budgetary constraints, and smaller governments. If these voters did indeed support the President this time around, the question remains, why would they support a President who appears to be against their core beliefs? The Answer, of course is The war on Terror. Contrary to common wisdom, an important swing voting bloc may have been influenced into voting for Bush not because of Social issues, but because of 911. My main fear is that all of this talk of an evangelical mandate may turn off 36% of Bush's margin of Victory in this election and may result in a backlash against the GOP in Future elections.

Now, all of this raises question about the rolls of Third party candidates in future elections. Could our highly divided electorate signify the end of "viable" third party candidates like Perot and Nader? Have third parties reached their pinnacle of influence with their effect on the 92 and 2000 elections? And, if third parties are no longer a viable alternative, what will be the effect on the two major parties; will they adopt certain aspects of the third parties(like in the early 1900's), or will they ignore their views and chase away a portion of the population from participating in elective government? Time will only answer these questions, but I believe that we may not have to wait too long before they answered.

2004-11-02T01:41:00.000-05:00

"Your honour calls you hence...
And all the gods go with you! Upon your sword
Sit laurel victory."
- William Shakespeare

The troops are positioned, the supplies are in place, the strategy is set and the battlefield has been chosen. The Ground war Begins At 6:45 AM.
ONWARD to Victory for our President!

Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us."
- Winston Churchill

2004-10-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

I have a theory about the wild swings in the recent polls. I think that ALL THE CALLING by both sides is skewing on the polling samples I have been working in Phone banks for B/C in PA, and I have noticed that of those who pick up the phone, most of them are people who have strong opinions either way. I suspect that a large amount of people are not answering their phones and only the truly committed are answering polling questions. This also raises questions about ZOGBY's polling since his samples are made up of volunteers. Could this be the end of Phone polling as we know it?

2004-10-28T01:08:00.000-04:00

The Apocalypse is near!

Boston Wins the world Series

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Curse? What curse? Johnny Damon homered, Trot Nixon hit a two-run double and the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 for a four-game sweep and their first World Series title since 1918.

I am not a baseball fan, but I am saddened to see one of the last few superstitious debunked! It would have been better if they won on Halloween though.

I wonder if there is going be a Missouri backlash against Kerry? On an ominous note, the last time they won, the WORLD WAS AT WAR!

2004-10-26T22:50:00.000-04:00

GIVE 'EM ZELL!

Today Senator Zell Miller visited our small corner of the Battleground State of PA.

The crowd responded enthusiastically when Senator miller gave one of his famous Southern Stories.
The senator said that one day he was working in his yard gathering rocks when he came across 3 copperhead snakes. He said that he did not ask his wife what to do, nor the local officials, nor the state officials. He grabbed a hoe and killed the snakes. He then said that "I suppose that you can call my actions unilateral since I did not ask for permission. I also suppose that you can call my action preemptive since the snakes have not bit anybody yet. " He went on to say that this is what needs to be done to protect the country(I am paraphrasing here)

Overall, it was a great event and the Senator was very gracious and spoke to many of the people in attendance after his speech.

2004-10-26T01:14:00.000-04:00

How to steal an election!

Federal District Judge Yvette Kane said in her decision that "any additional burden on an already taxed (election) system may stretch it to the breaking point," and that re-sending absentee ballots "may do more to disenfranchise overseas voters than the harm they seek to cure."

Service people overseas make up an overwhelming proportion of where those ballots would go. With recent polls showing a prevailing support of President Bush in the military, state Republican leaders are crying politics and pressing Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell to issue an executive order to override the decision and extend the deadline to Nov. 17.

Many Senate Republicans have noted that mail delivery in the deserts of the Middle East is difficult at best, and say granting an extra two weeks to get those absentee ballots in is only fair to those fighting for America.

There are approximately 16,000 Pennsylvanian service people overseas, by Barrar’s count. If a candidate wins by 100,000 or more votes, those absentee ballots most likely would not have an impact, he said.

Barrar pointed out that Rendell extended the deadline to accept absentee ballots during the primary election, after challenges to nominating petitions similar to the Nader issue delayed the mailing of ballots.

You know, you would think that our fine Governor would allow these brave men some extra time to cast their vote. Heck, what's an extra 15 days, we will still be arguing over provisional ballots for at least 10 days after the election. Why can't these be counted also?

2004-10-24T03:47:00.000-04:00

The "Left" goes NUTS!

Oregon: "Someone smashed the windows of the Multnomah County Republican office in Southeast Portland on Thursday, perhaps the latest sign some Oregonians have tossed out civility in their zeal to put their man in the White House."

"Oregon Democratic Party officials said they do not condone smashing the windows of Republican offices and discourage such acts."

"But the fact is that the reason the Republican Party is feigning righteous indignation is because they don't want to talk about the 30,000 jobs lost and the 180,000 Oregonians who have lost health care," said Neel Pender, executive director of the state Democratic Party.
>Boy is this Moral relativism at its best!

Cincinnati: Local Bush/Cheney headquarters robbed: "DOWNTOWN - Cincinnati's headquarters for the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign was broken into overnight.

Money and a sign were taken from the office, on Seventh Street near Court Street. The thieves got in by breaking out a window.

The office was also ransacked, officials said. It also houses other Republican organizations.

No one had been arrested."

Arizona: Arizona Daily Sun: "Political motivations turned criminal Thursday night or early Friday when vandals smashed a large glass door with a section of cinder block at the Republican Party headquarters in downtown Flagstaff.

A pile of shattered glass joined egg shells filling the entryway to the GOP offices, located on Humphreys Street across from Wheeler Park. Fliers with information criticizing President Bush were staked up outside the door."

Ann Coulter Pie attack: Coulter was speaking to a full house, answering questions from theaudience when the men approached the stage.

The gentlemen only managed to get Coulter on the shoulder, but they did manage to get them selves placed under arrested with ease.

The two men were tackled almost immediately by both security and other men attending who sprang from their seats to aid the apprehension.

Finally! The Guardian calls for the assassination of President Bush:

"On November 2, the entire civilised world will be praying, praying Bush loses. And Sod's law dictates he'll probably win, thereby disproving the existence of God once and for all. The world will endure four more years of idiocy, arrogance and unwarranted bloodshed, with no benevolent deity to watch over and save us. John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr - where are you now that we need you?"

2004-10-22T23:28:00.000-04:00

From the Front line!

Today I attended a Presidential Visit in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Here are some of the pictures I took:

The Venue

Enter Stage Right!

Father and daughter

Barbara introducing her father.

The speech

Working the Line

The protesters

This event had the feel more of the 2000 convention then the other event I attended. The RNC went all out with decorations and entertainment. With well over 15,000 people in attendance, the event rallied all of us war weary campaign worker and gave us a new found invigoration for the final 11 day of this never ending election. To see pictures from the other events I attended see here and here.

Update: unlike this Event for Kerry, NOBODY walked out from Bush's Rally today!

2004-10-20T01:52:00.000-04:00

"That these are our grievances which we have thus laid before his majesty, with that freedom of language and sentiment which becomes a free people claiming their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate." --Thomas Jefferson

From MSNBC - 'Hardball with Chris

"Mr. President, thank you. It‘s an honor to have you on.

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you Chris, good to be with you and your folks.

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you the question about—this is going to cause some trouble with people—but as an historian now and studying the Revolutionary War as it was fought out in the South in those last years of the War, insurgency against a powerful British force, do you see any parallels between the fighting that we did on our side and the fighting that is going on in Iraq today?

CARTER: Well, one parallel is that the Revolutionary War, more than any other war up until recently, has been the most bloody war we‘ve fought. I think another parallel is that in some ways the Revolutionary War could have been avoided. It was an unnecessary war.

Had the British Parliament been a little more sensitive to the colonial‘s really legitimate complaints and requests the war could have been avoided completely, and of course now we would have been a free country now as is Canada and India and Australia, having gotten our independence in a nonviolent way.

I think in many ways the British were very misled in going to war against America and in trying to enforce their will on people who were quite different from them at the time."

Hat top to Captain's Quarters

As a person who has studied America's Early National period at the Masters level, I take great offense when someone claims that "the Revolutionary War could have been avoided. It was an unnecessary war." If Freedom and liberty are not sufficient reason to go to war, than there are no reasons. If the world were to follow Mr. Carter's teaching, the world would be ruled by dictators and despots. I would figure that someone with Mr. Carter's "resume" in human right would be a bit more sensitive to the issue of impressment.

"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! "
--Patrick Henry March 23,1775

2004-10-19T14:31:00.000-04:00

Nascar for Bush!

From the The Kerry Spot

"Bush-Cheney '04 is announcing a NASCAR tour that will cover 14 events in four states (Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania) on October 19 and 20. The tour features seven of NASCAR's best drivers and most well-known figures: Darrell Waltrip, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Jack Roush, Benny Parsons, Jeff Hammond and Eddie Wood."

Tomorrow in Scranton PA:

5:30PM
Scranton, PA
Location: Tom Hesser Ford
Participants: Mark Martin, Jack Roush, Benny Parsons, Eddie Wood

I am slightly disappointed that the Bush Twin will not be at this event! Oh well.

2004-10-19T13:18:00.000-04:00

A must read!

TOMMY FRANKS ON Senator Kerry:

"On more than one occasion, Senator Kerry has referred to the fight at Tora Bora in Afghanistan during late 2001 as a missed opportunity for America. He claims that our forces had Osama bin Laden cornered and allowed him to escape. How did it happen? According to Mr. Kerry, we "outsourced" the job to Afghan warlords. As commander of the allied forces in the Middle East, I was responsible for the operation at Tora Bora, and I can tell you that the senator's understanding of events doesn't square with reality."

"Contrary to Senator Kerry, President Bush never "took his eye off the ball" when it came to Osama bin Laden. The war on terrorism has a global focus. It cannot be divided into separate and unrelated wars, one in Afghanistan and another in Iraq. Both are part of the same effort to capture and kill terrorists before they are able to strike America again, potentially with weapons of mass destruction. Terrorist cells are operating in some 60 countries, and the United States, in coordination with dozens of allies, is waging this war on many fronts."

Read the Rest!

2004-10-19T03:02:00.000-04:00

Foreign leaders for Bush

Vladimir Putin:
"Russian President Vladimir Putin says terrorist attacks in Iraq are aimed at preventing the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush and that a Bush defeat "could lead to the spread of terrorism to other parts of the world."

UN peacekeepers in Haiti:

"The commander of the UN peacekeepers in Haiti has linked a recent upsurge in violence there to comments made by the US presidential candidate, John Kerry.

Earlier this year Mr Kerry said that as president he would have sent American troops to protect Jean-Bertrand Aristide who was ousted from power in February.

The Brazilian UN general, Augusto Heleno, said Mr Kerry's comments had offered "hope" to Aristide supporters. Much of the recent unrest has centred on areas loyal to Mr Aristide."

Junichiro Koizumi:

"TOKYO — Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday he wants George W Bush to retain the U.S. presidency in the country's upcoming election.

"I don't want to interfere with another country's election but since I'm well-acquainted with President Bush, I want him to carry on," Koizumi told reporters at his office when asked about Democratic rival Sen John Kerry's lead in the latest poll."

Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi:

"These terrorists understand all too well that success in Iraq will be an enormous blow for terrorism worldwide,'' Allawi said during a news conference with President George W. Bush at the White House. ``If we stop fighting the terrorists in Iraq they would be free to plot and plan attacks elsewhere, in America and other free nations,'' Bush said."

Now contrast that with those who supports Kerry:

Iranian mullah rulers:
"The chairman of a pro-Iranian democracy group is charging that the campaign of Sen. John Kerry has been accepting political contributions from a lobbying group promoting the agenda of the mullah rulers of Iran. Aryo Pirouznia, leader of the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iraq (SMCCDI) says that backers of the regime in Tehran are channeling hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Kerry campaign."

Yasser Arafat:

"Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is hoping John Kerry wins the presidential election in November, several Palestinian leaders told WorldNetDaily.

Arafat deputy and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told WND in an exclusive interview that while "we do not involve ourselves in internal American politics," at the same time "our region has been sliding deeper and deeper into chaos because of certain policies over the past few years, and this needs to change."

2004-10-19T01:33:00.000-04:00

October Surprise?

From Catholic World News

Los Angeles, Oct. 18 (CWNews.com) - A consultant to the Vatican has said Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has incurred the penalty of excommunication from the Catholic Church.

The consultant made his statement in a highly unusual letter to Marc Balestrieri, a Los Angeles canon lawyer who formally sued John Kerry in ecclesiastical court for heresy...

Balestrieri, who launched his case earlier this year by filing a heresy complaint in Kerry's home archdiocese of Boston, told EWTN's "World Over" program on Friday that he had received an unusual, indirect communication from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the pro-abortion stance.

That communication provides a basis, he said, to declare that any Catholic politician who says he is "personally opposed to abortion, but supports a woman's right to choose," incurs automatic excommunication.

This is interesting since it appears to come from back door channels in the Vatican. I would guess that if a decision were made to excommunicate these politicians, it would come from back door channels since if Kerry were to win, the Vatican would still need to work with him. Plausible deniability anybody one?

Update:

Well it appears that Senator John Kerry is NOT going to be excommunicated.

"VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- An official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said a California canon lawyer seeking a formal decree of heresy against Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Democratic presidential nominee, has misrepresented his contact with the Vatican office."

"His claim that the private letter he received from (Dominican) Father Basil Cole is a Vatican response is completely without merit," Father DiNoia told Catholic News Service Oct. 19, declining to discuss the matter further."

2004-10-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

This an update to my previous posts on Syria, WMDs, and Sudan

From WorldTribune.com"

"Charles Duelfer told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month he could not rule out Saddam's transfer of Iraqi missiles and weapons of mass destruction to Syria."

"Duelfer, an adviser to the CIA, said at the Oct. 6 hearing that a large amount of material had been transferred by Iraq to Syria before the March 2003 war.

"A lot of materials left Iraq and went to Syria," Duelfer said. "There was certainly a lot of traffic across the border points. We've got a lot of data to support that, including people discussing it. But whether in fact in any of these trucks there was WMD-related materials, I cannot say."

I am still convinced that Saddam shipped his active WMD to Syria prior to the war while maintaining his capacity to produce WMDs in a short period of time.
There has been little follow-up of the allegations that Syria testes WMDs in Sudan, but if it did happen, I would bet dollars to donuts that they were Iraqi WMDs!

2004-10-18T16:19:00.000-04:00

PANTS ON FIRE!

John Kerry is trying to scare elderly voters in Pennsylvania and Florida by claiming the President has a "secret plan" to privatize Social Security in January. I though only Kerry had "a Plan", It seems he has so many "plans," he is attributing some to the President!

2004-10-16T19:13:00.000-04:00

This morning on FOX & Friends I heard a guest repeat the nasty rumor that the Bush Campaign was scaling back its operations in Pennsylvania. As a person who has been volunteering for the campaign in Northeastern PA for some four months, I can Say THIS IS NOT TRUE. The campaign is opening more country offices in anticipation of its final 72 hour campaign. We are continuing to recruit more volunteers, and oh by the way, The President is ONCE AGAIN visiting Northeastern PA next Friday. Also, there are other Campaign events including one involving Mark Martin of NASCAR fame, and one by Zell Miller.

These are NOT the actions of a Campaign scaling back operations in a state. I certainly hope that the spread of these rumors is just lazy journalism and not a patent attempt to suppress and demoralize Bush Supporters in PA. With Poll numbers like these suggesting a dead heat, one has to wonder how a person can draw the conclusion that the state is lost for the Bush campaign! I can say, that MANY campaign workers here in NE PA are rather upset, to say the least, at this story!

2004-10-14T01:36:00.000-04:00

The debate(s)

I think I see the overall plan of Karen Hughes/Karl Rove. The first debate, Bush wore a Blue tie, did a rather bad just job and lowered expectations. The second debate, Bush wore a blue tie, was fiery, engaging, and provided read meat for those who have been frustrated with the administration's response or lack there of to attacks. Third debate, Bush wore a Red tie, was calm, collected, and laid out facts in support of his administration while attacking his opponent's record.

For those who do not get the red Vs blue tie thing: A red tie is used to signify command, control, and dominance. A blue tie is used to soften a person and signifies compassion. I think a blue tie was used in the first two debates to soften the President(his facial expressions and his fiery disposition) while the red tie was used in the last debate to offset the President's calm persona while giving more command to his words.

But then again, I might have had too much to drink!

RIP Christopher Reeve

2004-10-12T01:47:00.000-04:00

Though I am not one to admire people who star in movies I liked, I do admire Reeve's courage in his post accident life. Disagree with him or not on some of his positions, he took a bad situation and fought the remaining days of his life to better help people in his position. I believe the true test of a person is not how they act when they are top, but how they act when all seems to be lost. Reeve showed the courage in life that he showed on the screen as superman.

2004-10-09T14:38:00.000-04:00

Aussie Aussi Aussi Oi Oi Oi!

Great News!

"SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Prime Minister John Howard scored a convincing victory in Australia's federal election Saturday, winning a historic fourth term in a vote ensuring the staunch U.S. ally keeps its troops in Iraq."

Could this be setting the Stage for November 2? Stay tuned sports fans!

2004-10-08T13:42:00.000-04:00

Campaign terror Update

Congressman Tom Feeney, of Florida’s 24th district wrote a letter to Attorney General Ashcroft calling for a criminal investigation. Here is the text of the letter:

"This week, in Orlando, Florida, approximately 100 protestors stormed and ransacked the local Bush-Cheney headquarters injuring one campaign staffer who suffered a broken wrist and causing considerable damage.

According to news accounts, similar "protests" occurred yesterday across the country in Miami, FL; Tampa, FL; Kansas City, MO; Dearborn, MI; St. Paul, MN; Independence, MO; and West Allis, WI. All of the "protests" appear to be a coordinated effort by members of a major labor union to intimidate staff and volunteers of the Bush-Cheney campaign. The AFL-CIO took credit on their own website for these protests that included thousands of workers in 17 cities across the country.

In what is apparently one of those coordinated "protests", the Bush-Cheney headquarters in West Allis, Wisconsin was invaded by more than 50 protestors who disrupted campaign activities and intimidated campaign workers and volunteers. According to the Associated Press, over 100 union protestors physically stormed their way into Bush-Cheney headquarters in Miami, Florida and intimidated volunteers inside. In what could be a related incident, although the perpetrator has not yet been identified, the Knoxville, TN Bush-Cheney office was hit by gun-fire on Tuesday morning, shattering the plate-glass front doors before volunteers showed up for work.

These attacks are not conduct protected by the First Amendment. The activities were carried out on the same day throughout the country, apparently organized by the same national organization. The lack of any notice and the pattern suggest a plan to intimidate volunteers who were supporting their candidate in the upcoming Presidential campaign."

Hat tip to STANLEY KURTZ and the The Corner

2004-10-07T03:15:00.000-04:00

Campaign Terror!!

Lets recap how the "loyal opposition" (yes those are NYT sarcasm quotes) is acting during this election:

MILWAUKEE:
"More than 50 demonstrators supporting Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry stormed a Republican campaign office in West Allis at mid-day today, trespassing, creating a disturbance through the use of a bullhorn in the office and then refusing to leave when asked."

Orlando:
"A group of protestors stormed and then ransacked a Bush-Cheney headquarters building in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, according to Local 6 News."

Knoxville, TN:
"An unknown suspect fired multiple shots into the Bearden office of the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign Tuesday morning."

Gainesville, Fla.:
"Politics in Gainesville turned rough and tumble Thursday night when, police say, a social behavior sciences instructor - a Democrat - punched the chairman of the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee in the face."

Columbus, Ohio:
"An American serviceman was ambushed last month. This ambush was especially noteworthy because it did not occur in Iraq or Afghanistan; it occurred within the borders of the United States. PFC Foster Barton, recipient of the Purple Heart, was on a two-week leave, recuperating from injuries sustained while on duty in Iraq. While leaving a concert in Columbus, Ohio, he was attacked. According to a local television report, his attacker reportedly "was screaming profanities and making crude remarks about U.S. soldiers."

MADISON, Wis.:
"Madison homeowners are livid after vandals defaced their homes.
Someone burned an 8-foot-by-8-foot Nazi swastika on a home's lawn near where Bush-Cheney signs were posted. The vandals used grass killer to spray the symbol."

SEATTLE:
"Republican officials say three laptop computers containing campaign plans have been stolen from a Bush-Cheney state headquarters office in suburban Seattle."

Huntington:
"Republican supporters in Huntington were watching their candidate accept the party's nomination when a gunshot rang out right in the middle of George W. Bush's speech."

This is not the way to hold an Election! Intimidating one party through force and violence is not the action of a civilized democracy! Yesterday, when I attended the Bush speech in Wilkes-Barre PA, I had to walk by the "free speech zone" to get to my car. While walking, I was called some of the vilest things I have ever been called. I felt more hate towards me than I EVER FELT FROM MY WORST EMEMY. After being called MANY NAMES, I laughed and repeatedly yelled out "four more years" ! Some GOP Supporters were clearly rattled by the hatred that was coming from this crowd. Last week, signed were placed In front of the Scranton B/C headquarters, and some people were there to harass those going in(I was called a Nazi bastard)

Why does one party feel compelled to intimidate the supporters of the other? My friend Jesterdel stated that civility in the campaign has gotten out of control. I now agree, but it is one sided. Jester stated that Extremists on all sided are getting nasty. Curious, I did a google search and found the only action against Kerry supporters was sign stealing.(something I do not condone) There are some Bush supporters who are rightly afraid to put Bush bumper stickers on their car in fear of it being damaged!

It is not yet the "night of broken glass" But I now have no doubt who will be instigating the violence.

2004-10-06T13:46:00.000-04:00

Photo Blogging!

Today I attended President Bush's speech in Wilkes-Barre Pa. Below are some of the pictures I took at the event. I do not believe that they are as good as the ones I took the last time the President was here, but they are not bad.

The President entering the stage

Here is a picture of the President giving his speech

The President working the Crowd.

The President leaving the room.

The event was billed as being a major announcement to the nation. I must confess, I did not see a major announcement. There was a part in the speech that appeared have been cut, and the presence of Karl Rove and Karen Hughes(both of whom were not at the last event I attended) makes me believe that there was a last minute decision to change the speech.

For more on the speech, read this.

By the way, the above linked article bothers me, it states that " The president lost Pennsylvania to Democrat Al Gore by fewer than 5,000 votes in 2000." This is wrong. The fact is, that the President lost PA by more than 200,000 votes! Who Pays these people!

2004-10-05T13:23:00.000-04:00

WOW
This election is getting OUT OF CONTROL!

"An unknown suspect fired several shots into the Bearden office of the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign Tuesday morning."

"According to Knoxville Police Department (KPD) officers on the scene Tuesday, it is believed that the two separate shots were fired from a car sometime between 6:30 am and 7:15 am."

But wait, This is not the First time this has happened!

"HuntingtonUSA - Republican supporters in Huntington were watching their candidate accept the party's nomination when a gunshot rang out right in the middle of George W. Bush's speech."

"We heard a small snap, and felt glass come sliding by us.We looked up and saw a hole in our window and realized somebody was shooting at us", said Paula Stewart."

And there is More!

"SEATTLE Republican officials say three laptop computers containing campaign plans have been stolen from a Bush-Cheney state headquarters office in suburban Seattle.
The theft is said to have occurred early Friday morning between two and eight a-m."

"State G-O-P chairman Chris Vance says someone threw a rock through a window at the office, in Bellvue. Vance said two of the stolen laptops contained much of the Bush-Cheney campaign strategy for the state of Washington. He believes the theft was politically motivated."

I am wondering if I have to start wearing a Second chance vest and carrying a weapon everyday while I am doing Campaign work!

Its Funny, for all the propaganda that Republicans are Nazis(I was called a "Nazi Bastard" outside a Local Bush Headquarters) and Hate mongers, You don't see Kerry's People getting shot at or Burglarized. I definitaly have concerns for President Bush's safety when he gets re-elected!

Update:
I forgot to mention this example of the "tolerant left."

"Someone burned an 8-foot-by-8-foot Nazi swastika on a home's lawn near where Bush-Cheney signs were posted. The vandals used grass killer to spray the symbol."

"Several nearby homes were vandalized -- all were within a two-block radius on the West Side, near Ice Age Trail, News 3 reported."

"I just cannot believe that someone would take the liberty to do this," said homeowner Rob Schaeffer. "We're appalled that someone would choose to destroy our property because they don't believe in our political views. My signs are going right back in the yard. This is my property. We live here. We have rights."

Update 2:

More attacks against GOP offices!

"ORLANDO, Fla. -- A group of protestors stormed and then ransacked a Bush-Cheney headquarters building in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, according to Local 6 News."

"Local 6 News learned that most of the protestors were from the AFL-CIO and were taking part in one of 20 other coordinated protests around the country.
A spokesperson with the AFL-CIO told Local 6 News that the Orlando protest did not go as planned."

Instapundit. has more on the NASHVILLE, Tenn shootings!

2004-10-01T01:57:00.000-04:00

The debate

Overall, I believe it was a tie. I do believe that the Bush campaigned achieved 2 main goals. 1. to not screw up and lose. 2. to get some new material on Kerry! I think the Bush campaign now have a new attack they can now uses against Kerry. I think the next campaign speech will go after Kerry for claming that multilateral diplomacy did not occur in the "Run-up to war" and that 30 nations was not a large enough coalition to attack Iraq while at the same time calling for bilateral negotiations with North Korea!
This is a Huge point that I see the campaign going after Kerry on. Also I think Pres. Bush's response to the question about the troops was very important. It showed a man who felt the pains of those who have suffered in the war in Iraq and shows him as person who does not make arbitrary decisions to put troops in harms way. That, I think, will end up being the most important part of the debate. Finally, How can you have a "global test" for unilateral preemptive action! By definition, isn't unilateral preemptive action, you know, WITHOUT GLOBAL IMPUT!

2004-09-28T16:07:00.000-04:00

The March to War? Syria Update

WorldTribune.com is reporting that:

"the Bush administration has drafted contingency plans for bringing military and economic pressure against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Officials said the administration has determined that diplomacy has failed to resolve U.S. concerns that Syria has been working to destabilize the interim government in Iraq."

The administration maybe laying the ground for a future case against Syria.

Lets look at the key points

1. Saddam's WMD may have gone to Syria before the War

2. Syria may have helped out the terrorists inside Iraq to attack US forces

3. Syria may have Tested WMD in Sudan.

The case is building!

This is an update to This and this post.

Update:
Nicole at Potomac Ponderings has more information including a good article from Newsweek

2004-09-28T01:43:00.000-04:00

Gratuitous Babe Shot!

This picture comes from Reuters. The caption reads: "A girl displays her home made t-shirts supporting U.S. President George W. Bush at a campaign rally in West Chester, Ohio, September 27, 2004." Incidentally, that rally had over 50,000 people in attendance!

Gob Bless America!

CNN.com - Bush apparently leads Kerry in pre-debate poll - Sep 27, 2004

2004-09-27T23:54:00.000-04:00

You have to love this CNN article about the new Gallup poll: Bush apparently leads Kerry in pre-debate poll That is the title of the article! "apparently leads Kerry?" "appears to be leading Democratic Sen. John Kerry among likely voters?" My god, are they trying to soften the blow of this poll! This is funny! But remember, DON"T GET COCKY! This election is not over yet!

2004-09-21T01:27:00.000-04:00

Update to my previous post on Syria testing WMD in Sudan

This story, from Middle East Newsline backs up the claim made by Die Wield last week that Syria used WMD in Sudan:

"WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The U.S. intelligence community has determined that Syria deployed weapons of mass destruction in Sudan's rebel Darfour province.

U.S. officials said the CIA has obtained what it deemed reliable information that Syria used a range of air bombs and perhaps rockets filled chemical and biological weapons in the war in Darfour. They said the BW and CW were used in Sudanese military attacks against African villagers in Darfour.

"The U.S. intelligence community has clear evidence that Syrian weapons and experts arrived several months ago and tested the operational use of a range of biological and chemical weapons in Darfour," an official said. "The results were devastating."

The officials said Syrian BW and CW were deployed in fighting in Darfour in June and July. They said hundreds of people were killed in the attacks, which appeared to mostly comprise of bombs being dropped by parachute from Sudanese Air Force An-24 air transports."

I don not know how reliable Middle East Newsline is, I have never heard of them. But if this is true, I wonder if President Bush is going to drop the WMD bomb in his speech to the UN tomorrow? Can this be the October surprise Early?

Hat tip to Potomac Ponderings for finding this story!

What's Senator Kerry's Problem?

2004-09-17T02:34:00.000-04:00

If This poll is to be believed, then Kerry may be in trouble.(Once again, don't GET COCKY!)

Many have pontificated as to why Kerry has slid in the polls since his convention. Was it the Swift boat ads? The Rathergate story? The well run GOP convention? The lack of coverage due to hurricanes?

I believe that none of these are right. The problem is the Kerry campaign itself. The swift boat ads would have had little or no effect if Kerry had addressed the allegations early on and often. Instead, he let the allegations fester and finally when he did address it, it was a rather weak response. I think the American people saw weakness in Kerry by the way he responded. It was not the substance of the ads that hurt Kerry but the weakness and disjointed nature of his reaction that hurt him. The American people are viewing this election through the prism of a post 911 world. The swift boat ad was a test of Kerry to see how he would respond when challenged; he failed the test.

Throughout this general election, Kerry has not given the impression of person in command. More then a person's position on issues, the American people want a CIC to be a person whom they believe to be in charge. Kerry has given the impression of perhaps a nuanced and thoughtful person, but not a decisive leader and commander. The American people do not what a person who would take two weeks to make a statement after an attack on this country. They want a person who will say while the buildings are still burning, that "these people are wanted dead or alive." Kerry has given the impression, by the way he has handled his campaign, that he would be weak in response to an attack, disheveled when challenged, indecisive in his vision while lacking resolve to carry out a long term objective.

Remember that a national campaign is a test to see how a person can command a large number of people to achieve an objective.(its the first and only large scale executive experience that many candidates get) When a campaign is often off message, indecisive in its answers, and late in its responses, the American people may conclude that these characteristics may carry over to the person's presidency, and in a post 911 world many will conclude that decisive and fast is better than indecisive and slow.

2004-09-15T14:37:00.000-04:00

On Monday, the assault weapons ban expired touching off a new round of debates over the limitation of firearms.

The interesting thing about this debate is the fact that the Second Amendment of US constitution has not been incorporated to apply to state action. This means that the second amendment does not apply to state action and the only limitation on state legislation regarding firearms is their own constitution and the state judicial opinions interpreting it. In essence, if a state has interpreted their constitution to mean that individuals do not have a fundamental right to bear arms, or that the state has a compelling interest in limiting firearms, then they can place strict limitations on gun ownership. That being said, why was the Assault weapons ban needed? If a state can take more draconian measures in limiting firearms than can the Federal government, why must the Federal government, constrained by the second Amendment, get involved in limiting these weapons?

There is also another aspect to this debate. In order for states to carry out the provision of the Federal AWB, the Federal Government must provide funding to do so. If not, its consider an un-funded mandate and not enforceable. This leaves the AWB in the realm of federal enforcement, not the state. In essence, it makes a new federal crime the owning, sale or transportation of these weapons. The question remains, why does this need to be a federal crime? I do not have the answer, but the net effect of the AWB lapsing will have a negligible effect on law enforcement since state still have the ability to limit the same weapons that were banned by the AWB.

2004-09-15T01:31:00.000-04:00

This is interesting and tragic if true:
"In June of this year Syrian special forces have used chemical weapons against the Black-African population of Darfur. The action in which dozens of people died, occurred in arrangement with the Sudanese government, a conclusion Western Secret Services have reached. This is supported by reports of eyewitnesses which were published in different Arabian media.

Judging from the documents of Western Intelligence services in possession of die WELT, Syrian officers have met representatives of the Sudanese army in May of this year in a suburb of Khartoum. The conversations dealt with the question about how to expand the military collaboration. According to Secret Service information the Syrian delegation has offered Sudan a closer cooperation in the area of chemical warfare. The sources furthermore say that it has been suggested to test the chemical agents on the rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). Because in May Khartoum was in peace negotiations with the rebels, the Sudanese delegation apparently advised to test the agents on the Black-African population. To do that at least five airplanes of the Syrian civil airline Syrian Arab Airlines were flown from Damascus to Khartoum. Aboard were specialists of the Syrian University for Chemical Warfare including engineering equipment."

This story provides a frightening picture of the war on terror especially when you view it in light of the underreported possibility that Iraq may have shipped WMDs to Syria prior to the war. This is still an unproven allegation, but if true, it WILL have a rippling effect on the War on Terror.

I was one of those people in the camp that believed that Iran might be the next target in the war on Terror. Now, I am moving towards the Idea that Syria may be next. I can see the case now if this allegation is true:

Ladies and gentlemen, Prior to the war of liberation for Iraq, we stated that Saddam had WMDs. Subsequent searches and investigations have turned up no stockpile of WMDs in Iraq. We have since learned through interviews, satellite photography, ground samples, and documents, that the Iraqi government moved its stockpile of WMD to Syria prior to our invasion of Iraq. Further intelligence has revealed that the Syrian government has transported the illegal Iraqi WMDs to Sudan. There, they have used it to help an evil regime carryout its goal of genocide. Both the Sudanese and the Syrian people deserve to live without fear of Baathists dictators using WMDs to control the population. That is why I have ordered the bombing and invasion of Syria.
You can fill in the rest. This is just a thought on how the war on Terror may proceed from this point if this story is true.

Remember this map:

Kudos Rantburg and to Steve for this story!

Update:
Welcome all you Vodkapundit readers, and thanks to Steve for the link. If you get time, check out the main page.

2004-09-11T16:45:00.000-04:00

You spin Me round round...

Last night Dan Rather and CBS News responded to the alegation that documents used in his "piece" on the president's National Guard service were fakes.

There are many problems that remain with their story and responce:

1. The Washington Times: reports that "A handwriting expert says the two""A handwriting expert says the two signatures
on purported Texas National Guard memos aired by CBS News this week are not those of President
Bush's squadron commander, as asserted by "60 Minutes."

2. ABCNEWS.com states that:
" Retired Maj. General Hodges, Killian's supervisor at the Grd, tells ABC News that he feels CBS misled him about the documents they uncovered. According to Hodges, CBS told him the documents were "handwritten" and after CBS read him excerpts he said, "well if he wrote them that's what he felt."

" Hodges also said he did not see the documents in the 70's and he cannot authenticate thedocuments or the contents. His personal belief is that the documents have been "computer generated" and are a "fraud".

3.The man named in a disputed memo as exerting pressure to "sugar coat" President Bush's military record left the Texas Air National Guard a year and a half before the memo was supposedly written.

4. CBS's response did not address the concerns of the late Lt. Col's Son that these appear to be fake Nor did they address the concerns of His Widow that the memos were out of charicter for her husband.

5. CBS's claim that the superscript appears in other documents appears to Fall on its Face also.

6. In addition, the The daughterof Former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes, the subject of Dan's interview, states that :
"I love my father very much, but he's doing this for purely political reasons. He is a big Kerry fund-
raiser and he is writing a book also. And [the Bush story] is what he's leading the book off with. ...
He denied this to me in 2000 that he did get Bush out [of Vietnam service]. Now he's saying he did."

7. Finally, they still not have addressed the problems with the memo statedHere, Here, and Here

Here is how I see this playing out:

CBS will claim that their "Sources" and their forensic investigators stand by their claim that the documents are authentic. Other News organizations and the blogsphere will parade their experts showing that they are forgeries. We now have a stalemate and it is up to the public to decide which experts to believe, kind of like how a Jury decides whether to believe the plaintiff's expert or the defense's experts in a liability case. The problem is, the issue will soon become muddled with so many opinions that public will not care and a resolution will never come about. I did not expect a CBS admission, even if they are fake, because they loose more from that admission then if they fight it and confuse the issue thereby confusing the public so most people will become bored with the issue and forget about it. The ONLY way this thing will be resolved is by a Criminal investigation.

2004-09-11T11:31:00.000-04:00

Year three since War was declared on America

Three years after that sunny Tuesday that stunned a nation, life has continued. Only those who had a personal loss still have the feeling of pain and hurt that the rest of us felt that day. It is Cliché to say that 9/11 changed the course of the Nation because there seems a desire to revert to 9/10 thinking, because on 9/10 we were safe, we did not know that bad men in desolate places were trying to kill us, we were not at war. The realities of life that were so evident on 9/11 have faded into distant memory. Reality has been replaced with partisan finger pointing, blame, and a desire to "fix the problems" that led 911 so we can revert back to 9/10. Its easier to blame ourselves for what happened that terrible day because we know and understand our own shortcomings, our own weaknesses, and our faults, its this self reflection that makes us great. Its much more difficult to contemplate why so few can despise so many and take human life for a hate we can not comprehend.

Though self reflection can be an attribute, it can also be a curse when it is allowed to transform into self indictment. Our nation, unlike others, finds that it is easier to blame ourselves for events that transpire. Perhaps it is the arrogant belief that some have that our government should be infallible and be capable of protecting us from all threats all the time. Perhaps is the faith that evolved over 228 years of relatively few attacks on our country. What ever the answer may be, the fact is that self indictment is not an appropriate response when confronting an evil that does not seek a strategic goal, but rather seeks to end our way of life. While Self reflection examines institutional concerns that may or may not have made it easier for the attacks to have occurred, self indictment seeks to place blame on ourselves for a tragedy and does not address that fact that the people we face would have attacked regardless of bureaucratic policies.

Today should not just be a memorial for those lost on 9/11, but for all those who have died since that opening volley of the century's first great war. The greatest tribute that we can leave for the 3000 people that died 3 years ago, the 1000 soldiers that have died in Iraq, and countless soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines that have died in Afghanistan is a world that is better for their sacrifice. We can leave a freer world, a more democratic world, a more just world. With these goals, victory is assured because free democratic nations do not attack other free democratic nations. When other nations treat their people with dignity, we are safer because people satisfied with their position in their society do not fly airplanes into buildings.

This day represents many things to many different people, a failure of government, a declaration of war, a loss of a loved one. What ever it signifies to you, do not forget that 3000 people died for no other reason than the fact that they lived in this country. It is important realize that the US government did not kill these people, President Bush did not kill these people, President Clinton did not kill these people, Islamic Fascists did. Believing that fault rest in us is easy but it does not provide a long-term solution to the actual problem. We must avoid allure of quick resolution that self indictment creates because it does not provide lasting solutions to the threats we face. We should understand that pursuing a goal of short term satisfaction rather then long term peace could be the greatest disservice that we could do to those that have lost their life since 9/11.

2004-09-09T23:11:00.000-04:00

"That is the sound of inevitability"

An interesting thing is occurring on the Internet today. It appears that Some perceptive Free republic poster(look at post 47) noticed that the "NEW" documents that CBS and the Boston Globe used in their advocacy pieces on Bush's National Guard Service used
" a proportionally spaced font, probably Palatino or Times New Roman.

In 1972 people used typewriters for this sort of thing, and typewriters used monospaced fonts.

The use of proportionally spaced fonts did not come into common use for office memos until the introduction of laser printers, word processing software, and personal computers. They were not widespread until the mid to late 90's. Before then, you needed typesetting equipment, and that wasn't used for personal memos to file. Even the Wang systems that were dominant in the mid 80's used monospaced fonts."

This suggested that the document were forgeries.

For the most comprehensive rundown on this story look at Power Line, the Blog that Broke this story!

Now, the AP is reporting that the son of the late officer who reportedly wrote the memos questions their authenticity and Stephen Hayes, of the weekly Standard, has had experts looking at the documents and they have determined that they were not made in 1973(these experts are willing to put their names behind their analysis, unlike CBS's)

Finally, Glenn Reynolds has a lot on the story and is reporting that Nightline will be doing a story on the "forgeries" tonight.

I think we are witnessing a coming of age for the Internet. The story itself is interesting, but who has been driving the story may be the most important thing to come out of this whole mess!

UPDATE:

DRUDGE is reporting that CBS NEWS executives have launched an internal investigation into whether 60 MINUTES aired fabricated documents!

This is getting interesting!

UPDATE 2

The lovely Annika is distraught(to say the least) about the circumstance surrounding this mess and Wizbang is calling this "FONTGATE"

The question is what did Terry McCaulife know and when did he know it?

And who said the politics was not a spectator sport!
I love this stuff!

2004-09-09T20:57:00.000-04:00

Nice shooting kid, Now DON"T GET COCKY!

Some of the recent polls look good for the president, But ITS STILL WAY TO EARLY TO CELEBRATE!

The ABC news Poll shows President Bush with 52 percent support and Kerry with 43 percent, Ralph Nader 2 percent.

The CBS News Poll Shows Pres. Bush with 48% support and Kerry with 39%(this was registered voters)

I do not put much stock into polls. There are to many variables that can effect the out come. My tinfoil hat side thinks that the Main stream Media polls are trying to make the race appear a shoo-in for Bush so that people who may have some differences with Bush may feel more comfortable voting for a 3rd party out of principle. Its a crazy thought, but giving this election cycle, and the MSM's near advocacy reporting on behalf Kerry, I would not put it past them.
I tend to think the race is closer to what Rasmussen is reporting, rather than the one reported by the Main Stream Media polls. But that's just me.

2004-09-08T20:44:00.000-04:00

If at first you don't succeed, Try, Try, Try, Try again!

You can tell its fall, the leaves on the trees are turning, there is a crisp chill in the air signifying the coming of winter, and the AWOL birds are all over the "main stream Media"

Lets look(AGAIN) at why Bush WAS NOT AWOL. First lets look at what FactCheck.org had to say about it:

"After graduating from Yale in 1968, Bush escaped conscription and possible combat duty in the then-raging Vietnam War by getting into the Texas Air National Guard. During the next four years Bush served the equivalent of 21 months on active duty, according to the Globe account, including more than a year of flight training. The Globe quoted Bush’s flight instructor, retired Col. Maurice H. Udell, as saying "I would rank him in the top 5 percent of pilots I knew.”

The Globe also said:

Those who trained and flew with Bush . . . said he was among the best pilots in the 111th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. In the 22-month period between the end of his flight training and his move to Alabama, Bush logged numerous hours of duty, well above the minimum requirements for so-called "weekend warriors.""

ALSO:

"Bush moved from Houston to Alabama in May of 1972 to take part in the unsuccessful Senate campaign of Republican Winton Blount. Bush was supposed to report for duty at the 187th Tactical Recon Group in Montgomery Alabama. But the unit’s commander at the time, retired Gen. William Turnipseed, was quoted by several news organizations as saying he had no recollection of Bush showing up. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered," the Globe quoted him saying.

The Globe quoted Bush as saying through his spokesman Dan Bartlett that he did recall reporting for non-flying duty in Alabama, performing “odds and ends” under supervisors whose names he could not recall."

Finally:

"The fact is Bush was honorably discharged without ever being officially accused of desertion or being away without official leave."

Next, there are the statements by JOHN "BILL" CALHOUN A former member of the ALABAMA AIR NATIONAL GUARD who attests to the fact that he worked with George Bush in the Alabama National Guard. He states:

"OK, it was either May or June. We had received a call from his commander, asking if he could make his drills with us. My boss there, Colonel Tarmsee (ph) brought him in, told him he was going to be there, and he actually reported in to me. He signed in on each drill. And a drill weekend was two days, a Saturday and Sunday. He would show up at 8:00, like he was supposed to. He signed in. He stayed there all day, and signed out, and he did that both days. And this was up through October, which as best I could remember would have been the last drill, because I know he left to go back to Texas before the election that he was working in."

He went on to say:

"First, there's probably as many people now that come forward and said they saw him there at some point as have come forward and said they didn't see him. I can say I saw him there, and I know he was there. I talked to him. Occasionally we'd eat lunch together. The people that -- I have heard no one say he wasn't there. They just said they didn't see him, which was not unusual, with 200 or 300 people on base and him not being a pilot flying our aircraft, he would not be around our pilots. So that's one thing.

The documentation which I have seen -- and like I said, all this information has come to me in the last three days when the records were released. All I can say is this was normally done with a phone call from a commander to commander to make a drill with another unit. And when -- the paperwork may come later. You may be there two or three months before paperwork, and you may never get any paperwork. But he did -- we did make him sign in, which is what our records required. And these were sent to administration, our pay, and they were supposed to be reported on his unit, because normally, he would not have been paid with us."

Finally, and the most persuasive, is this letter written COL. WILLIAM CAMPENNI. He does a great job explaining what it was like serving in the TANG at that time. Here are some excerpts:

"George Bush and I were lieutenants and pilots in the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS), Texas Air National Guard (ANG) from 1970 to 1971. We had the same flight and squadron commanders (Maj. William Harris and Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, both now deceased). While we were not part of the same social circle outside the base, we were in the same fraternity of fighter pilots, and proudly"

"If you check the 111th FIS records of 1970-72 and any other ANG squadron, you will find other pilots excused for career obligations and conflicts. The Bush excusal in 1972 was further facilitated by a change in the unit's mission, from an operational fighter squadron to a training squadron with a new airplane, the F-101, which required that more pilots be available for full-time instructor duty rather than part-time traditional reservists with outside employment.
The winding down of the Vietnam War in 1971 provided a flood of exiting active-duty pilots for these instructor jobs, making part-timers like Lt. Bush and me somewhat superfluous. There was a huge glut of pilots in the Air Force in 1972, and with no cockpits available to put them in, many were shoved into nonflying desk jobs. Any pilot could have left the Air Force or the Air Guard with ease after 1972 before his commitment was up because there just wasn't room for all of them anymore."

"Excusals for employment were common then and are now in the Air Guard, as pilots frequently are in career transitions, and most commanders (as I later was) are flexible in letting their charges take care of career affairs until they return or transfer to another unit near their new employment. Sometimes they will transfer temporarily to another unit to keep them on the active list until they can return home. The receiving unit often has little use for a transitory member, especially in a high-skills category like a pilot, because those slots usually are filled and, if not filled, would require extensive conversion training of up to six months, an unlikely option for a temporary hire.
As a commander, I would put such "visitors" in some minor administrative post until they went back home. There even were a few instances when I was unaware that they were on my roster because the paperwork often lagged. Today, I can't even recall their names. If a Lt. Bush came into my unit to "pull drills" for a couple of months, I wouldn't be too involved with him because I would have a lot more important things on my table keeping the unit combat ready."

Finally:

"First, there is no instance of Lt. Bush disobeying lawful orders in reporting for a physical, as none would be given. Pilots are scheduled for their annual flight physicals in their birth month during that month's weekend drill assembly — the only time the clinic is open. In the Reserves, it is not uncommon to miss this deadline by a month or so for a variety of reasons: The clinic is closed that month for special training; the individual is out of town on civilian business; etc.
If so, the pilot is grounded temporarily until he completes the physical. Also, the formal drug testing program was not instituted by the Air Force until the 1980s and is done randomly by lot, not as a special part of a flight physical, when one easily could abstain from drug use because of its date certain. Blood work is done, but to ensure a healthy pilot, not confront a drug user."

For more information on the AWOL lie, go to HobbsOnline and especially look at the was Bush AWOL section

2004-09-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

Cheap shot!(because Kerry makes it SO EASY)

At a stop at Canonsburg, Pa Kerry said:

"Everybody told me, 'God, if you're coming to Canonsburg, you've got to find time to go to Toy's, and he'll take care of you,'" Mr. Kerry said, dropping the name of a restaurant his motorcade had passed on the way in. "I understand it's my kind of place, because you don't have to - you know, when they give you the menu, I'm always struggling: Ah, what do you want?"

He then went on to say:

"He just gives you what he's got, right?" Mr. Kerry added, continuing steadily off a gangplank of his own making: "And you don't have to worry, it's whatever he's cooked up that day. And I think that's the way it ought to work, for confused people like me who can't make up our minds."

First, and the most obvious, is do we really want a person who has problems deciding what he wants to eat let alone deciding how he stands on the issues of our day to be Commander in Chief of the nation? Nobody has ever accused Kerry of being decisive.

Next, by stating that he is "confused" and can't make up his mind, is he admitting that all the GOP commercials painting him as a flipper are true?

2004-09-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

PHOTO BlOGGING

Yesterday I attended President Bush's first campaign stop after his acceptance of the nomination in Scranton, PA. Here are a few of the pictures I took:

There were many speaker prior to the president taking the stage, here are two:
Congressman Don Sherwood(top) and Senator Rick Santorum(bottom)

Here is a picture of the First Couple entering the stage area(top) and Laura introducing the President(bottom)

Here are two pictures of the President during his speech

Finally, here is a picture of the two leaving the stage. I did not take any pictures of the President shaking hands(upon reflection I should have) I guess I was a little overwhelmed by the fact that I got to shake his hand.

2004-09-02T15:59:00.000-04:00

The Ghost of Jackson!

Glenn Reynolds and others have brought up a good point comparing Zell's speech to THE JACKSONIAN PERSUASION. It then dawned on me, Zell's little encounter with Chris Matthews where he, in essence, challenged him to a duel was not the rantings of a crazy, wild-eyed, old man, but he was just continuing to channel Jackson considering Jackson did have an affinity for the duel himself!

Considering Zell is a student of history and a former History professor, it would not surprise me if Jackson was not only on his mind when he wrote the speech, but also when he delivered it, and it seems in follow-on interviews. So Is Zell saying, the Bush administration heir apparent to the JACKSONIAN PERSUASION?

2004-09-02T01:55:00.000-04:00

Great Great TV!

Tonight Zell Miller defended Michelle Malkin's honor by challenging Chris Matthews to a duel! Not really but he did bring up the EXCHANGE(ambush) between Malkin and Matthews that caused a bit of an uproar last week! Mattthews' standard tactics were called into question and he was told to throw down or shut UP.

Perhaps my friend's concerns over the lack of civility in politics are justified......naaaah

2004-09-02T00:39:00.000-04:00

I was waiting for this!

Rock," he said, "sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock," he said, "but I'll know about it and I'll be happy."

(Photo taken by Matt at Blogs for Bush
who is blogging at the RNC convention)

2004-09-01T23:47:00.000-04:00

Hardball

I was just watching Hardball and Chris Matthews posed the question to the panel "Why is GW going to Scranton PA, its a Democratic town?" One of the panel jokingly responded, it has the most bars per capita in the nation to which Matthews said it is an Irish town! Matthews should know, he spoke at the Graduation of my alma mater, the University of Scranton, last year. Being that Scranton is my hometown, and I am part Irish, I can attest, after much research, that Scranton, in fact does have the most bars per capita in the nation! Then the panel turned serious and answered the question correctly, these are Conservative Democrats, the Bob Casey Democrats, these people are more likely to vote for Bush than for Kerry. After calling about 3000 people in the NE PA region with the Bush Campaign, I can attest to the fact that many democrats in the area are voting for BUSH!

2004-09-01T19:37:00.000-04:00

Contrasts:

Last night, Laura Bush delivered one of the better political speeches by a spouse in quite some time. She help to shape the image of the president by offering her experiences and intimate details into the workings of the man. The speech was about the President, Not about her.

Contrast that to Teresa Heinz Kerry's address before the DNC. The speech was centered around her experiences not the senator's. The purpose of a spouse's speech before a convention is to humanize the candidate, not to state the first lady's credentials. That is why Laura Bush's speech has received a much more positive initial response than THK!

2004-09-01T02:42:00.000-04:00

A response:

A Long time, very good, friend of mine, has recently started his own blog. He tends to lean towards the liberal side and has some concerns about the current state of the election and something I recently posted.

First, the post he finds troubling in no way advocates ending the free speech OF ANY GROUP. It simply points out the rank hypocrisy of people who believe they have a right to be heard while at the same time advocating that one media outlet, who does not always report in a manner consistent with their views, should be taken off the air. These same people, wile under the guise of Free speech assault GOP delegates, attack police, and disrupt live TV shows.

Second he seems to believe that politics has degraded to such a state that intelligent discussion in no longer attainable. He states:
"Both sides resorting to personal attacks and misleading half-truths/lies, partisans on either side ending friendships over political differences. "I can't be friends with someone who supports killing babies." "I can't be friends with someone who wants to strip gays of their civil rights." "You guys want to fight pre-emptive wars of convenience and take their oil." "You guys support terrorists and hate freedom." It's just worrisome. Whatever happened to intelligent people having differing opinions?"
I personally have not seen individuals ending friendship over the current political battles. But the fact is, bitter partisan battles have been part of the political culture for the entire history of this nation. Heck, Hamilton and Jefferson use to insult each on a consistent basis under assumed names in weekly papers, Burr and Hamilton took part in a duel, in which Hamilton died, because Hamilton questioned his honor, and Lincoln was often referred to as a back-country monkey. These things are not new and did not signify the end of the nation.

Third, he draws a comparison to the deep political divides that existed over slavery and the current divides that exist over social issues today. He seems to believe that the current nature of politics is the result of the religious right.
He states:
" I'm beginning to see parallels to an earlier black-and-white (literally) moral issue: slavery. The individuals in charge became completely polarized - either slavery was a positive good or a horrible evil, each side ignoring the practical and historical issues and difficulties facing the other. Was slavery wrong? Yes. Would ending it immediately have caused an incalculable amount of social, political, and economic upheaval? Yes. Lines were drawn, it became a zero-sum game, and there ended up being no room to manuever and compromise. The country then proceeded to tear itself apart in the Civil War."
He goes on to say:
" I see a similar divide forming on social issues, specifically abortion and gay rights. Is it at the same boiling point, same level of severity? No. Could it rise to that level? I don't know."

The current debate over social issues is argued mainly in the courts. This is most likely the cause of much of the bitter, sometime hostile, political debate. I believe that both sides feel powerless over their respected positions since most of the decisions will be decided not in the great hall of the state legislator, or even the National legislator, but by 9 unlected judges. This brings the campaigns for the presidency and the senate to the forefront since the president nominates and the senate confirms the judges that will decide the nature of our rights. This I feel is the crux of the problem. Hamilton once said "Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike." That is why I believe that If state legislators, directly elected by the people, were able to define, based on what is best for their constituency, what should be the law with respect to abortion or gay marriage, then every group has an equal opportunity to be heard, and their arguments vetted and voted on. History has proven this to be the best possible solution to divisive social issues. The best example is the recent sodomy debate. When State laws banning sodomy were first reviewed in the early 80's, there were 30 or so states that banned it. When the Supreme Court recently reviewed sodomy laws, there were 13. Those 17 or so states struck the laws not by court action but by legislative action. Those states had the debate and resolved in a manner their constituency was conformable with. There were no riots, no break down of civil society, just debate and resolution. When weighty issues are decided by elected officials, bestowed to the people, the results are more palatable then decrees from an often misunderstood branch of government. Since the Supreme court decided the fate of the sodomy laws in the remaining 13 states, the issue has become polarizing and divisive more so then ever.Jefferson exemplified this point best when he said: " It has long, however, been my opinion, and I have never shrunk from its expression...that the germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of the federal Judiciary;...working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped."

The fact is, the country is in a transitional period. Every transitions period in our nation's history, be it the Revolutionary War, the battle over slavery, the progressive era, or the discontent of the 60's has been characterized by deep political divides. Out of those dark struggles a better nation has ALWAYS emerged. I tend to believe that the cause or the result of a battle is sometimes not nearly as productive as the struggle itself. Avoiding the battle often leads to pent up frustration and an explosion of deeply rooted individual beliefs. Sometimes a battle is best NOT avoided because it may result in far greater consequences. Change is hard and I would not be so presumptuous as to claim I know where the current transitional period will take us, but if history is road sign to the future, the results will be a better nation.

Finally, my friend has concerns over that fact that he finds himself falling into the bitter partisan trap with things I have written or have said. He comments that:
"there have been times when I've found myself saying, "Wow, we see the world in two completely different ways...and yours scares the living shit out of me. Are you really that short sighted and callous?"

I believe that the weightiest of issues are best decided buy mutual zealous advocacy. That sometimes, what a person is saying, is not nearly as important as the fact that the discussion is occurring.

I must admit that I enjoy the fight, I revel in discussing with people whom differ from my point of view. Having a point of view and the willingness to debate it is the foundation of our great country. The resolution to the debate is not nearly as important the debate itself. My friend cites the Civil War as an example of what happens when strong lines are drawn and compromise is no longer attainable. I disagree, it was not the fact that two strong diverging points of view existed, nor was it the fact the that those who were willing to comprise, like Clay, were no longer leading the political debate that lead to the war. It was the fact that both sides REFUSED to continue the debate. As long as debate continues, no mater how vitriolic, bitter, or uncivil, the hope remains for resolution. When the debate ends, if the issue is not resolved, then there is cause for worry. But then again, I am an optimists!

2004-08-31T02:05:00.000-04:00

Rudy Giuliani's speech, on day one of the RNC, has to be one of the best speeches advocating the reelection of an incumbent in recent history.

I have said before that the reelection of an incumbent is dependent upon the electorate answering two questions:
1. "does the incumbent deserve a second term?", and if the answer to that is NO, than 2." is the challenger an adequate replacement?" Giuliani's speech does a great job at addressing those two questions.

Question 1:
Rudy makes the case that Bush responded to 911 in the best possible manner when he said:

"It was here in 2001 in lower Manhattan that President George W. Bush stood amid the fallen towers of the World Trade Center and said to the barbaric terrorists who attacked us, “They will hear from us.”
They have heard from us!
They heard from us in Afghanistan and we removed the Taliban.
They heard from us in Iraq and we ended Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror.
They heard from us in Libya and without firing a shot Qadhafi abandoned weapons of mass destruction.
They are hearing from us in nations that are now more reluctant to sponsor terrorists. So long as George Bush is President, is there any doubt they will continue to hear from us until we defeat global terrorism.
We owe that much and more to those loved ones and heroes we lost on September 11th.

The families of some of those we lost on September 11th are here with us. To them, and all those families affected by September 11th, we recognize the sacrifices your loved ones and you have made. You are in our prayers and we are in your debt."

Rudy then went on to defend Bush's strategic vision when he said:
"

Terrorism did not start on September 11, 2001. It had been festering for many years. And the world had created a response to it that allowed it to succeed. The attack on the Israeli team at the Munich Olympics was in 1972. And the pattern had already begun.

The three surviving terrorists were arrested and within two months released by the German government.

Action like this became the rule, not the exception. Terrorists came to learn they could attack and often not face consequences.

In 1985, terrorists attacked the Achille Lauro and murdered an American citizen who was in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer. They marked him for murder solely because he was Jewish.

Some of those terrorist were released and some of the remaining terrorists allowed to escape by the Italian government because of fear of reprisals.

So terrorists learned they could intimidate the world community and too often the response, particularly in Europe, was “accommodation, appeasement and compromise.”

And worse the terrorists also learned that their cause would be taken more seriously, almost in direct proportion to the barbarity of the attack.

Terrorist acts became a ticket to the international bargaining table. How else to explain Yasser Arafat winning the Nobel Peace Prize when he was supporting a terrorist plague in the Middle East that undermined any chance of peace?

Before September 11, we were living with an unrealistic view of the world much like our observing Europe appease Hitler or trying to accommodate ourselves to peaceful co-existence with the Soviet Union through mutually assured destruction.

President Bush decided that we could no longer be just on defense against global terrorism but we must also be on offense."

Finally, Rudy defends the decision to attack Iraq and shapes Bush's vision for the war on terror:

"On September 20, 2001, President Bush stood before a joint session of Congress, a still grieving and shocked nation and a confused world and he did change the direction of our ship of state. He dedicated America under his leadership to destroying global terrorism.

The President announced the Bush Doctrine when he said: “Our war on terror begins with Al Qaeda, but it does not end there.

It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated. “Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.”

And since September 11th President Bush has remained rock solid.".....

" In any plan to destroy global terrorism, removing Saddam Hussein needed to be accomplished.

Frankly, I believed then and I believe now that Saddam Hussein, who supported global terrorism, slaughtered hundreds of thousands of his own people, permitted horrific atrocities against women, and used weapons of mass destruction, was himself a weapon of mass destruction.

But the reasons for removing Saddam Hussein were based on issues even broader than just the presence of weapons of mass destruction.

To liberate people, give them a chance for accountable, decent government and rid the world of a pillar of support for global terrorism is something for which all those involved from President Bush to the brave men and women of our armed forces should be proud.

President Bush has also focused on the correct long-term answer for the violence and hatred emerging from the Middle East. The hatred and anger in the Middle East arises from the lack of accountable governments.

Rather than trying to grant more freedom, create more income, improve education and basic health care, these governments deflect their own failures by pointing to America and Israel and other external scapegoats.

But blaming these scapegoats does not improve the life of a single person in the Arab world. It does not relieve the plight of even one woman in Iran.

It does not give a decent living to a single soul in Syria. It certainly does not stop the slaughter of African Christians in the Sudan.

The changes necessary in the Middle East involve encouraging accountable, lawful governments that can be role models.

This has also been an important part of the Bush Doctrine and the President's vision for the future. Have faith in the power of freedom.

People who live in freedom always prevail over people who live in oppression. That’s the story of the Old Testament. That’s the story of World War II and the Cold War. That’s the story of the firefighters and police officers and rescue workers who courageously saved thousands of lives on September 11, 2001.

President Bush is the leader we need for the next four years because he sees beyond today and tomorrow. He has a vision of a peaceful Middle East and, therefore, a safer world. We will see an end to global terrorism. I can see it. I believe it. I know it will happen.

It may seem a long way off. It may even seem idealistic.

But it may not be as far away and idealistic as it seems."

Question 2

On making the case that Kerry in not an adequate replacement for Bush, Rudy said:

"Ronald Reagan saw and described the Soviet Union as “the evil empire” while world opinion accepted it as inevitable and belittled Ronald Reagan’s intelligence. President Bush sees world terrorism for the evil that it is.

John Kerry has no such clear, precise and consistent vision.

This is not a personal criticism of John Kerry.

I respect him for his service to our nation.

But it is important to see the contrast in approach between the two men; President Bush, a leader who is willing to stick with difficult decisions even as public opinion shifts, and John Kerry, whose record in elected office suggests a man who changes his position often even on important issues.

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, John Kerry voted against the Persian Gulf War. Later he said he actually supported the war.

Then in 2002, as he was calculating his run for President, he voted for the war in Iraq. And then just 9 months later, he voted against an $87 billion supplemental budget to fund the war and support our troops.

He even, at one point, declared himself an anti-war candidate. Now, he says he's pro-war. At this rate, with 64 days left, he still has time to change his position at least three or four more times.

My point about John Kerry being inconsistent is best described in his own words when he said, “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

Maybe this explains John Edwards’ need for two Americas - - one where John Kerry can vote for something and another where he can vote against the same thing.'

AND

"But John Kerry has made it the rule to change his position, rather than the exception. In October, 2003, he told an Arab-American Institute in Detroit that a security barrier separating Israel from the Palestinian Territories was a "barrier to peace."

A few months later, he took exactly the opposite position. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post he said, "Israel’s security fence is a legitimate act of self defense."

The contrasts are dramatic. They involve very different views of how to deal with terrorism. President Bush will make certain that we are combatting terrorism at the source, beyond our shores, so we can reduce the risk of having to confront it in the streets of New York.

John Kerry's record of inconsistent positions on combatting terrorism gives us no confidence he'll pursue such a determined course.

President Bush will not allow countries that appear to have ignored the lessons of history and failed for over thirty years to stand up to terrorists, to dissuade us from what is necessary for our defense. He will not let them set our agenda. Under President Bush, America will lead rather than follow.

John Kerry's claim that certain foreign leaders who opposed our removal of Saddam Hussein prefer him, raises the risk that he would accommodate his position to their viewpoint.

It would hardly be the first time he changed his position on matters of war and peace."

Sometimes only a Lawyer can make a case that resonates with the rest of the country, I think Rudy did just that!

2004-08-30T15:49:00.000-04:00

The Party of free speech?

When the Democrats held their convention, They forced Al Jazeera to remover its banner from public view. The Republican convention organizers have demonstrated much more tolerance in that they allowed Al Jazeera to keep their banner visible.

This provides an interesting backdrop to what I observed on CSPAN yesterday. I noticed many protesters chanting slogans
like "FOX NEWS HAS GOT TO GO" and "FOX NEWS SUCKS."

For people who Scream that John Ashcroft is silencing their dissent and that the GOP is a bunch of Nazis, they sure what to silence other people's dissent!

Update:
It appears that a group of anarchists attacked a group of conservative protesters yesterday during the "Peace" protest. check out the film of the attack Here!

The group that was attacked calls themselves Protest Warriors. Their mission:
" War IS an ugly thing, but as long as nations and leaders exist that detest freedom, sometimes it is the only way to secure a lasting peace. Most leftist anti-war protesters and pundits don't understand this. They state that this use of force is always unnecessary -- that war, ANY war, is never good. Some of them, born into the luxury of American freedom, believe that liberty can exist passively, that somehow the world's natural state will always settle into utopian harmony. Others, in an attempt to absolve themselves from the unearned guilt they harbor living in a nation of prosperity and wealth, try to buy morality on the cheap by pronouncing themselves for the 'good'. To them, the derivation of the 'good' is based on a simple, yet peculiar standard: the powerful and competent are wicked, while the feeble and impotent are innocent - regardless of the context. That is why they defend Iraq instead of America, and the Palestinian "resistance" instead of Israel.

These leftists usually carry the loudest megaphones. And left unchallenged, their voices are heard disproportionately, demoralizing our troops, and emboldening dictators around the world - dictators who dream of the day the "Great Satan" disappears from the face of the earth.

However, their self-righteous messages go silent quickly when the truth of history and reality is thrown back in their face. It's time to turn up the juice on OUR megaphones, as we will never keep our supreme values of liberty and justice without the will to fight for them."

2004-08-30T02:24:00.000-04:00

To the left is a list of the bloggers who will be covering the GOP convention. There is nothing like instant access to on the spot reporting without the filter of an editor!

2004-08-29T02:43:00.000-04:00

I voted against Castro Before I supported Him!

From the Miami Herald:

Senator Kerry made the following statement to a crowd in West Palm Beach after being asked What will he do about Cuba:

"I'm pretty tough on Castro, because I think he's running one of the last vestiges of a Stalinist secret police government in the world,'' Kerry told WPLG-ABC 10 reporter Michael Putney in an interview to be aired at 11:30 this morning."

Kerry then said:
"And I voted for the Helms-Burton legislation to be tough on companies that deal with him.''

The problem is, HE VOTED AGAINST IT!

"Asked Friday to explain the discrepancy, Kerry aides said the senator cast one of the 22 nays that day in 1996 because he disagreed with some of the final technical aspects. But, said spokesman David Wade, Kerry supported the legislation in its purer form -- and voted for it months earlier."

This does not look good for Kerry's effort to woo the Cuban support in Florida, First he voted against a bill that would strengthen the sanctions against Cuba, and then he misrepresented his position on the matter to make it appear he supported it. In a battleground state like Florida, this could be deadly!

2004-08-24T22:31:00.000-04:00

John Kerry has accused President Bush of manipulating fears about security and terror for political gain.

Well, this story suggests that the Democrat party is doing the fear mongering, not the Bush administration:

"A state Democratic Party effort to sign up new voters mixes images of a military draft notice with a voter registration form, calling on people to make a choice between the two."

2004-08-24T10:02:00.000-04:00

IF you can't win it, steal it!

From the NY daily News:

"Some 46,000 New Yorkers are registered to vote in both the city and Florida, a shocking finding that exposes both states to potential abuses that could alter the outcome of elections, a Daily News investigation shows."

" Of the 46,000 registered in both states, 68% are Democrats, 12% are Republicans and 16% didn't claim a party."

"But The News found that between 400 and 1,000 registered voters have voted twice in at least one election, a federal offense punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine."

I wonder if that 1000 people who doubled voted in 2000 will explode to 30,000 or more in this election cycle. This conjures up the old Mayor Daley axiom, vote wisely and vote often!

2004-08-24T00:53:00.000-04:00

Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack.
- General George Patton Jr
(In this case, discover what they are guilty of)

John Kerry has accused the Bush campaign of Collaborating with the 527 group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

It appears that he should be careful of what he accuses others of, because his own DNC may be guilty of the same thing!

The relevant part:
"The Democratic Party is partnering with MoveOn.org, People for the American Way, Campaign for America's Future, and dozens of other groups representing millions of Americans to organize a massive public mobilization. On Wednesday, May 14, join us by calling and emailing your representatives in Congress to let them know that the majority of Americans oppose more irresponsible tax cuts that go overwhelmingly to the wealthiest sliver of Americans."

This graphic, via Blogs for Bush, gives a nice rundown of the web of connections the Kerry campaign and the DNC has to 527s.

With the amount of money and resources that Democrat surrogates are putting forward to defeat President Bush, it is no wonder that the Kerry campaign is nervous that Bush supporters have joined the fight on Kerry's chosen field of play. I wonder if they feel they will lose a fair fight, or if they figure that they can only win on a field in which their opponent in not playing on? (Sorry for the sports references, I have been watching the Olympics way to much)

2004-08-10T01:36:00.000-04:00

Kerry’s plan for “peace” unravels, from the LA Times of all places:

"Kerry in recent appearances and interviews has been intensifying his effort to spotlight what he sees as the Bush administration’s mistakes in Iraq — especially the failure to broaden international involvement — as a fundamental difference between the two candidates. But Kerry’s proposals depend on changing the minds of foreign leaders who do not want to defy their electorates by sending forces into what many consider to be a U.S.-made mess."

“The French and German governments have made clear that sending troops is out of the question. British officials have made no such categorical statement, but they have expressed concern that their troops are overstretched.”

"Although Japan has supplied a 550-member noncombat force as a symbol of its international commitment, analysts there see little chance the nation would agree to send more."

"Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Andrei Denisov, ruled out a commitment of troops. “We are not going to send anybody there, and that’s all there is to say,” Denisov said."

Finally,

“Senior Iraqi officials told U.S. officials this summer that they opposed the idea of bringing in additional troops from any foreign country.”

There is also the problem that NATO does not have the troops, logistics, and airlift capacity to deploy large number of troops for extended periods of time..

The fact is we are the only nation able to carry out large deployments for extended periods of time. If Kerry is elected, there is not going to be some magical hand that rebuilds European military power and grants them political will by divine providence so that they could deploy 80,000 troops to Iraq. It is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

2004-08-07T23:36:00.000-04:00

To borrow a phrase used bye Michael Savage, is the press, The enemy within?

“LONDON (Reuters) - The revelation that a mole within al Qaeda was exposed after Washington launched its "orange alert" this month has shocked security experts, who say the outing of the source may have set back the war on terror. “

There was a time when the press would work for the government to help defeat an enemy. Now they help the enemy.

Just remember:

2004-08-06T14:44:00.000-04:00

The Local Beat

Suspeticious activity in Scranton, PA:

"If you've run into two men asking questions about the Chamberlain plant in Scranton you're not alone. The plant makes shells for the military. Scranton police and the F.B.I. have information that two men were asking questions about the plant on Cedar Avenue and investigators want to know why."

"They're said to be of middle eastern descent and traveling in a green sport utility vehicle without license plates. One may have a British accent."

The interesting thing about this story is, it can't be found in the local News paper or on the other Tv News stations!
Here is a photo of the people they are looking for:

2004-08-06T12:43:00.000-04:00

Hypersensitive Lawyer sues Yahoo because some kid made fun of him.

I know, I know, the article does not say it was a kid, but Come on! Talk about the crushing of dissent! Could you imagine if your personal information was to be made available every time someone gets his or her feelings hurt on a message board or in a chat room and wants to file suit? There is Something wrong, on a very basic level, with the precedent that will be set if people will be able to receive personal information from Internet sites by subpoena in order to pursue lawsuits because a person said something that offended another person.

2004-08-04T02:05:00.000-04:00

I am happy to announce a new news site for bloggers, News feed online. I am rapidly making it one of my daily visits and it seems to have a wide range of information available. You should check it out!

2004-08-01T23:21:00.000-04:00

THUD

A recent USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll finds that Pres. Bush leads Sen. Kerry 50%-46% among likely voters.

"The survey showed Kerry losing 1 percentage point and Bush gaining 4 percentage points from a poll taken the week before the Boston convention."

"The change in support was within the poll's margin of error of +/-4 percentage points in the sample of 763 likely voters. But it was nonetheless surprising, the first time since the chaotic Democratic convention in 1972 that a candidate hasn't gained ground during his convention."

It's quite easy to see why Bush might have gotten a bounce from the DNC. There was a week of News focusing on the convention and NOT the bad news or perceived bad news from Iraq. This election is not about why Kerry should be elected but rather about why Bush Should not be reelected.

Generally a reelection campaign for president is more about the incumbent rather than the challenger. In this type of election the electorate usually answers two questions, 1. "does the incumbent deserve a second term?", and if the answer to that is NO, than 2." is the challenger an adequate replacement?" My point is, the electorate needs to decide if they want get rid of the incumbent before they decide on the challenger. The Burden is on the challenger to show the electorate that the incumbent needs to be replaced. The incumbent needs to defend their record and show that, even if the electorate wants the president gone, the challenger is not an adequate replacement. Look at the 96 election, because the economy was good, we were in a "perceived time of peace", and despite all of Clinton's scandals and questionable behavior, the electorate was happy and did not see a reason to replace him, therefore he won by a fairly comfortable margin. A Reagan type Republican running against Clinton in 96 would have lost because the electorate decided that Clinton deserved a second term.

When the news does not favor removing President Bush, like bad news from Iraq or the economy, Kerry will drop in the polls! That is why, considering the coverage for the past week focused on the convention, Bush could have received a Bounce in the polls from the DNC.

2004-07-31T00:46:00.000-04:00

Kerry gets REJECTED: Hat tip to Blogs for Bush

"Earlier, their bus convoy pulled over at a Wendy's fast food restaurant for a photo opportunity lunch that provided an awkward moment.

Spotting a group of US Marines, Kerry, who has made his Vietnam War service a cornerstone of his campaign, went over to chat. The Marines, who all turned out to be staunch Bush reporters, were not impressed.

"He imposed on us and I disagree with him coming over here shaking our hands," one of them told reporters afterwards. "I'm 100 percent against" Kerry, he said. "We support our commander-in-chief 100 percent.""

You won't see this on the alphabet networks or Cnn!

2004-07-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

A few things about John Kerry's speech: I thought his style was much better than Edwards', his timing was better but he did rush some important applause lines. Now, as for substance, I have a problem with a few things:

I did not like the bio part in the beginning, all week they have been Hammering on themes of his life, the movie before the speech said the same things he did, His web site says the same things. By the end of the bio I heard the loud stamped of people turning the channel before they got to hear what his plan was.

The speech talks about his childhood and of course Vietnam But Just happens to SKIP HIS 20 years in the Senate than he says "Trust Me about my record" Sorry Johnny Boy, but THOMAS will be VERY Busy for the next few weeks.

Now is when we get into the Michael Moore part of the speech:
"I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war." {The same war he voted for, the same war he had information on as a member of the intelligence committee, the same war in which you yourself have been claiming that Iraq had WMD, the same war in which you voted for the Iraqi liberation act in 1998 setting US policy towards Iraq as regime change?}
"I will have a Vice President who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws."{So he considers anyone in the energy industry a polluter? Should not a VP when designing an energy strategy, you Know TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE INDUSRTY, who should he talk to, Elmo? How exactly does the Executive Branch write laws? I suppose if had been in the Senate for the last year he would have Known what laws were passed}
"I will have a Secretary of Defense who will listen to the best advice of our military leaders."{Has he any proof that Rumsfeld has not?}
"And I will appoint an Attorney General who actually upholds the Constitution of the United States."{AHH YES BLAME the AG for the Patriot act, which is not the evil act people thing, while hiding the fact THAT KERRY VOTED FOR IT, and even the ACLU has not found one violation of a person's civil rights under it.}

"I am proud that after September 11th all our people rallied to President Bush’s call for unity to meet the danger. There were no Democrats. There were no Republicans. There were only Americans. How we wish it had stayed that way."
{So do I Johnny, but You and your cronies started campaigning about 2 years ago and soured the well of good faith, it was you and your party that poisoned the political scene(with the exception of lieberman)}

"Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn’t make it so." {No But when the CIA, France UN, England, Russia, and most of the other world's intelligence services say they have WMD, only a blind prophet would believe they Don't have them}

"As President, I will ask hard questions and demand hard evidence. I will immediately reform the intelligence system - so policy is guided by facts, and facts are never distorted by politics." {The 911 commission found NO EVIDENCE that the administration Pressured intelligence services to distort fact for policy He is inferring an untruth}

"the United States of America never goes to war because we want to, we only go to war because we have to." {hmm well we did not Need to go to war in 1918, nor did we in Korea or Vietnam nor in the Spanish American War, So is he saying that he only wants to go to war when attacked?)

"As President, I will wage this war with the lessons I learned in war. Before you go to battle, you have to be able to look a parent in the eye and truthfully say: “I tried everything possible to avoid sending your son or daughter into harm’s way. But we had no choice. We had to protect the American people, fundamental American values from a threat that was real and imminent.”"{So much for the doctrine of preemption. SO Johnny, when will the threat with Iran become imminent? When they have Nukes, When you actually address the fact that Iran had a link to 911 according the 911 commission report?}

"And on my first day in office, I will send a message to every man and woman in our armed forces: You will never be asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace." {I hope he understands that no military plan survives the first engagement with the enemy! Also I would say that election plans, a turn over of sovereignty, and a growing new democracy all in under two years is not bad! Better than the UN did in Bosnia or Kosovia oh wait we are still there)

"Here is the reality: that won’t happen until we have a president who restores America’s respect and leadership — so we don’t have to go it alone in the world."{ A list of nations who contributed to the operations in Iraq: Afghanistan Albania Australia Azerbaijan Bulgaria Colombia Costa Rica Czech Rep Denmark Dom. Rep. El Salvador Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Georgia Honduras Hungary Iceland Italy Japan South Korea Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Micronesia Netherlands Nicaragua Palau Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Spain Solomon Isls. Tonga Turkey Ukraine UK Uzbekistan USA,. This is Going it alone? Leadership is not following the will of a handful of nations, it is leading others.}

"And we will end the backdoor draft of National Guard and reservists." {Well he and is ilk, after Vietnam, designed the Military so that WE CAN'T GO TO WAR without the National Guard and reserves since all the support units, MP. Supply, Medical, air lift, public affairs ARE mostly RESERVE UNITS}

"We need to lead a global effort against nuclear proliferation - to keep the most dangerous weapons in the world out of the most dangerous hands in the world." {And what do you do When Iran refuses to follow the will of the UN if WAR IS reactive rather than proactive?}

"The future doesn’t belong to fear; it belongs to freedom."{Freedom does not just happen, it is fought for and died for}

"And the front lines of this battle are not just far away - they’re right here on our shores, at our airports, and potentially in any town or city. Today, our national security begins with homeland security."{Kerry wants to fight the war on Terror on the streets of NY and LA and Boston rather than where the enemy is coming from? By the time the threat is already here, it may be too late, fight the war abroad, not here}

"And we shouldn’t be opening firehouses in Baghdad and closing them down in the United States of America." {boosting up our ability deal with an attack IS NOT FIGHTING THE WAR ON TERROR, it is preparing for defeat! Not to mention that, Although President Clinton's last budget allocated only $100 million to firefighters, President Bush has already awarded over $1.1 billion directly to local firehouses in firefighter grants and President Bush's budget provides $3.56 billion in funds for state and local preparedness. That is a 680% increase over the funding in President Clinton's last year)

"You don’t value families if you force them to take up a collection to buy body armor for a son or daughter in the service,"{This story was debunked long ago AND is not true, I am surprised it made it past vetting!}
"Or if you deny veterans health care, "{Funding for Veterans up 27%, But Kerry Calls It A Cut?
"or if you tell middle class families to wait for a tax cut, so that the wealthiest among us can get even more." {An across the Board Tax Cut is NOT A TAX CUT FOR THE Wealthy, Nor is Kerry's plan to Increase the dividend tax rate, the capital gains tax, or increasing the marginal rate for people who make over $28,000 a TAX cut for the middle class}

That is all for now, Some more later:

2004-07-29T00:41:00.000-04:00

The DNC has a Mob connection ? Go figure!

"As Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards arrived in Boston today for the Democratic National Convention, so did the California man who is their single biggest contributor."

"He is Stephen Bing, a wealthy film producer who, with little fanfare, has managed to steer a total of more than $16 million of his money to Democratic candidates and the supposedly independent groups that support them...."

"Democratic Party officials said they knew nothing about the man who law enforcement officials tell ABC News is Bing's friend and business partner — Dominic Montemarano, a New York Mafia figure currently in federal prison on racketeering charges...."

"After a recent private lunch with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Edwards, Bing also declined to answer questions about his relationship with Montemarano."

There are those who scream foul when a former CEO of Haliburton becomes Vice president. I guess for Democrats, its better to be a criminal than a CEO! But then again, the Democrats have never really had a problem with taking money from shady characters before.

2004-07-28T02:02:00.000-04:00

Why John Kerry will hurt Corporate America

Senator Kerry believes that outsourcing needs to be ended. This, from his site is his plan to end it:

"Current tax laws allow American companies to defer paying taxes on income earned by their foreign subsidiaries until they bring it back to the United States. If they keep the money abroad, they avoid paying U.S. taxes entirely."

"Kerry would require companies to pay taxes on their international income as they earn it rather than being allow to defer it. The new system would apply to profits earned in future years only, not retroactively."

Left out of this plan is the fact that US corporations would be double taxed in that they will pay US taxes AND Host nation Taxes! The current system now allows a corporation to us Foreign profits for capital improvements in those foreign operations. This allows for more efficient operations and encourages the maxim utilization of limited resources. This increases the corporation's profit margin and increases its stock value which helps out US investors.

Kerry's plan will Tax those foreign profits. If that is to occur, a US corporation will have no incentive to keep its foreign operations managed from the United States. Therefore, that corporation will split, with its foreign operation moving overseas and its domestic operation remaining here in the US. That would result in Support staff such as accountants, lawyers, and engineers loosing their jobs and being replaced with foreign workers with the new foreign corporation. His plan may also, depending on the amount of foreign business a Corporation does, force some corporations to leave the US all together, allowing them to pay just one tax rather than two.

The fact is, John Kerry's economic plan is DANGEROUS and could destroy our economy.

2004-07-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

Earth to John Kerry! Via Blogs for Bush
Kerry's Dukakis moment?

2004-07-26T22:09:00.000-04:00

Only a Democrat wife of a Democrat candidate can get away with telling a reporter to "shove it"

Here is a link to the video

2004-07-26T18:57:00.000-04:00

Ann Coulter, too hot for "Today"

To borrow a phrase so often used by Glen Reynolds, More crushing of dissent, this time by USA Today.

Take a look at the comments that the editor wrote in the unpublished column. And they say Conservatives lack a sense of Humor!

2004-07-24T02:38:00.000-04:00

Michelle Malkin has a great rant about people stating that Annie Jacobsen overacted in her Event
with 14 Syrian "musicians"
This is why I was ecstatic when I heard that Michelle was starting a blog! I could not agree with her more. I for one am not willing to sit on a plane and sleep quietly with full confidence that the government is going to protect me. The government has a key roll in providing protection, but that does not mean that our social contract dictates that we relinquish ALL SOVERENTY for protection. Just look at the recently released tapes of 911 where the hijackers were going through security and you will see that the government CAN not protects us in all circumstances. In this war the greatest defense is the American people not Homeland security!

2004-07-23T13:47:00.000-04:00

Mark Pasquale, Owner of Halftime Pizza, is miffed at the DNC, and his sign lets his displeasure known to the those who plan on attending the DNC Convention. Halftime Pizza is located across the street from where the DNC convention is being held. Pasquale is forced to close his business for the week due to the availability of free food and security concerns. City inspectors have threatened to fine himif he does not take the sign down. Does anybody believe that if the sign was pro Kerry he would receive such a threat from city inspectors?