I’ll play the blues for you

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Friday Nite Blues. It don’t get better than this.

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Attaboy Huck

One Campaign poll results over at Politico…. Who says straw polls are meaningless? Check it out…

Mitt Romney: 35
Rudy Giuliani: 12
Fred Thompson: 11
Mike Huckabee: 11
Tom Tancredo: 9
John McCain: 7
Undecided: 10

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A memo from the Chairman

Dear Conservative scumbags…errr… I mean “friends”,

Hello there! I’m sure you are all well aware that your beloved Senator, Senator Larry Craig, happens to be someone who may frequent a men’s room stall for the usual progressive on-the-go slap and tickle. I mean, we do have our media talking about it continuously and I’m sure you may have happened upon it by now. Anyways, I want to let you know that there is hope for you and the Democrat Party (us) is willing to advocate for you on such matters like “family values”. Yes, we want your vote and we will tell you anything to get it (among other things). {snip}

We are ready for you to change Party affiliation on the heels of this latest scandal. Sure, we may be hypocrites, Communist, Caliphate lovers, heathens, anti-American and many other things – but the fact remains, we want your vote! And since we want your vote we are willing to tell you anything you want to hear to either get you to the polls to vote for us or to keep you from going to the polls to vote Rethuglikan. Just remember one thing: Larry Craig was in a bathroom stall tapping his foot looking for progressive on-the-go slap and tickle. Remember that, future comrades! Remember that so you can vote for bull dyke Hillary Clinton a little bit more easier when we tell you to, because, well, WE CARE ABOUT THE SAME THINGS YOU DO (SORT OF)™!

Chairman M. S. Punchenko

This is the World FamousFriday Open Thread.

You’ve waited patiently all week. I feel your pain.

Poverty update
This photo from the Peoples Cube shows a … poor proletarian girl who is forced to wear rags, being held on the margins of the alleged “prosperity” of capitalist economy, carrying home a sack of beets after a long shift at a dead-end sweatshop five cents an hour job…

Update2: from Taranto, Quote of the Day

“Speaking at a forum organized by Lance Armstrong on cancer research, Hillary Clinton told Chris Matthews if she is elected president, she will declare war on cancer, and then she will support the war on cancer for two years, and then she will be against it for a year, and then she will back out of it all together” — Jay Leno, host of NBC’s “Tonight Show.”

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Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Inside the Northwest Territory, Webloggin, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Allie Is Wired, third world county, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The Uncooperative Radio Show!, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Right Voices, and Church and State, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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Huck wins Machinist endorsement

“Mike Huckabee was the only Republican candidate with the guts to meet with our members and the only one willing to figure out where and how we might work together,” said Buffenbarger. “He is entitled to serious consideration from our members voting in the upcoming Republican primaries.”

According to a recent survey of Machinists Union members, one-third votes Republican and two-thirds vote Democratic. “The dual endorsement is intended to involve all IAM members in the upcoming election,” said Buffenbarger. “It is fitting for the union whose early members gave birth to Labor Day to reach beyond traditional partisan boundaries to establish new relationships for the benefit of all working Americans.

The dual endorsement of Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Republican Primary, and Clinton in the Dem Primary from the 700,000 member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is yet another indication that Huckabee’s conservative message is being heard, and is gaining momentum.

Go Mike!

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College Football Open Thread

Oh man, I love this time of year.
College Football.
I was thinking about some wingy-dingies,
with the special MSU wingy-dingy sauce.
Gonna whup up on some Tigers tonite.
Yeah, baby!

UPDATE:
Things were going great……..then the game started.
LSU 45-0
Dang.

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Invested in Defeat

Interesting poll from Zogby International…

In the Spring of this year, Harry Reid went before the cameras and informed the world that the surge was a complete failure. He joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi and composed a letter stating in no uncertain way that the war was a lost cause. As odd and unpatriotic as many Americans considered that posture to be, there was no doubt that they believed it, and pushed by the internut left, were determined to withdraw from Iraq, consequences be damned.

The Zogby poll shows that 2 out of 3 democrats are in sync with Reid-Pelosi in their belief that the Iraq war is a lost cause, while only one in ten Republicans share in their defeatism.

A majority of Americans – 54% – believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq, but there is dramatic disagreement on the question between Democrats and Republicans, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same.

The poll comes ahead of a September report to Congress by David Petraeus, commander of the multi-national force in Iraq, on the progress of the so-called surge in quelling attacks by insurgents and creating an atmosphere where the new Iraqi government can develop.

This was pretty interesting too…”While the President’s approval for his handling of the war showed slight gains, Congress remains stuck at just a 3% positive rating for its handling of the war, unchanged from polling last month.”

It’s a long time before election day, and a lot can and will happen. But, any conservative who writes off republican chances in ‘08 based on a lousy showing in 2006 is being just as defeatist in domestic politics as the democrats are being with regards to the war against radical islam.

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Katrina Open Thread

Two years ago. Dang. This is the beach at Bay St. Louis, as the storm surge arrives…..

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Hillary Should Return The Dirty Money

Yesterday, from Howard Wolfson, HRC spokesman: “Norman Hsu is a longtime and generous supporter of the Democratic Party and its candidates, including Sen. Clinton.” … “During Mr. Hsu’s many years of active participation in the political process, there has been no question about his integrity or his commitment to playing by the rules, and we have absolutely no reason to call his contributions into question or to return them.”

Today, from the LA Times

For the last 15 years, California authorities have been trying to figure out what happened to a businessman named Norman Hsu, who pleaded no contest to grand theft, agreed to serve up to three years in prison and then seemed to vanish.

“He is a fugitive,” Ronald Smetana, who handled the case for the state attorney general, said in an interview. “Do you know where he is?”

Since 2004, one Norman Hsu has been carving out a prominent place of honor among Democratic fundraisers. He has funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions into party coffers, much of it earmarked for presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

In addition to making his own contributions, Hsu has honed the practice of assembling packets of checks from contributors who bear little resemblance to the usual Democratic deep pockets: A self-described apparel executive with a variety of business interests, Hsu has focused on delivering hefty contributions from citizens who live modest lives and are neophytes in the world of campaign giving.

Hillary Clinton should return this dirty money immediately, and provide full accountability for contributions received from the Hsu network. Her campaign should act immediately to preserve all campaign donation records, and campaign email databases. The emails should be made public. If Hillary ever hopes to escape the charges corruption which have hounded her for years, she should not try to explain this away as “just another attack from the VRWC.”

This is exactly the type of situation which lends credibility to the plaintiff in the upcoming Paul v. Clinton case.

(h/t n2l)

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Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson’s Website, Rosemary’s Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, The Pet Haven Blog, Webloggin, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Thoughts, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Faultline USA, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Planck’s Constant, The Pink Flamingo, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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Mookie calls for hudna

BAGHDAD — Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia in order to reorganize the force, and it will no longer attack U.S. and coalition troops, aides said Wednesday.

The aide, Sheik Hazim al-Araji, said on Iraqi state television that the goal was to “rehabilitate” the organization, which has reportedly broken into factions, some of which the U.S. maintains are trained and supplied by Iran.

“We declare the freezing of the Mahdi Army without exception in order to rehabilitate it in a way that will safeguard its ideological image within a maximum period of six months starting from the day this statement is issued,” al-Araji said, reading from a statement by al-Sadr.

In Najaf, al-Sadr’s spokesman said the order also means the Mahdi Army will no longer launch attacks against U.S. and other coalition forces.

“It also includes suspending the taking up of arms against occupiers as well as others,” Ahmed al-Shaibani told reporters.

Asked if Mahdi militiamen would defend themselves against provocations, he replied: “We will deal with it when it happens.” source

The Mookster declaring a hudna? Interesting development. As Coalition forces press the battle against AQI, could it be that he is taking a look at the writing on the wall? I don’t know. But, I suspect his fear is that the Mahdi Army, in a head to head confrontation with the US Army, would be completely destroyed, along with his power base.

With the backdrop of political improvements announced two days ago, this comes at a good time as General Petraeus’ prepares his progress report to Congress.

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Tuesday Nite Crop Circles

An open thread to ponder the meaning of life, or just the depth of your belly button.

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UBL’s spider hole

I saw this over at FR…not sure what to make of it.
From the MEMRI Website:

According to Pakistani diplomatic sources, U.S. intelligence has revealed that Osama bin Laden is hiding in the “White Cave” in the Tora Bora mountains, and is currently carrying out military operations there aimed at leading to his capture.

Click here to see MEMRI TV clips on Osama bin Laden.

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Castro hearts Hillary/Obama

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is tipping Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to team up and win the U.S. presidential election.

Clinton leads Obama in the race to be the Democratic nominee for the November 2008 election, and Castro said they would make a winning combination.

I swan, you just can’t parody these weasels.

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“Red lights all over this one”

Drivers Ed 101: Red means stop, Green means go. Yellow means caution. Basic stuff. Everybody knows.

The problems arise when some joker decides that those basic rules apply to everyone but him/herself.

Such is the case with the 2008 presumptive Democrat nominee, and it’s certainly not a new story: just the supporting characters change. You can look back to the late 60’s, when under the tutelage of Saul Alinsky, a young Wellesley student learned the many meanings of “the end justifies the means.”

“In a fight almost anything goes. It almost reaches the point where you stop to apologize if a chance blow lands above the belt.”

Whether it’s Buddhist monks who have taken vows of poverty, somehow mysteriously making sizable political donations, or Asian governments and special interests buying influence, or overnight stays in the White House being sold for campaign cash, the rules of campaign financing, much less the rules of decency, are consistently flaunted, skirted, circumvented, prostituted, and ignored. The Clinton modus operandi is unmistakable.

The most recent example is reported in today’s WSJ (h/t n2l).

One of the biggest sources of political donations to Hillary Rodham Clinton is a tiny, lime-green bungalow that lies under the flight path from San Francisco International Airport.

Six members of the Paw family, each listing the house at 41 Shelbourne Ave. as their residence, have donated a combined $45,000 to the Democratic senator from New York since 2005, for her presidential campaign, her Senate re-election last year and her political action committee. In all, the six Paws have donated a total of $200,000 to Democratic candidates since 2005, election records show.

That total ranks the house with residences in Greenwich, Conn., and Manhattan’s Upper East Side among the top addresses to donate to the Democratic presidential front-runner over the past two years, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal of donations listed with the Federal Election Commission.

It isn’t obvious how the Paw family is able to afford such political largess. Records show they own a gift shop and live in a 1,280-square-foot house that they recently refinanced for $270,000. William Paw, the 64-year-old head of the household, is a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service who earns about $49,000 a year, according to a union representative. Alice Paw, also 64, is a homemaker. The couple’s grown children have jobs ranging from account manager at a software company to “attendance liaison” at a local public high school. One is listed on campaign records as an executive at a mutual fund.

The Paws’ political donations closely track donations made by Norman Hsu, a wealthy New York businessman in the apparel industry who once listed the Paw home as his address, according to public records. Mr. Hsu is one of the top fund-raisers for Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign. He has hosted or co-hosted some of her most prominent money-raising events.

People who answered the phone and the door at the Paws’ residence declined requests for comment last week. In an email last night, one of the Paws’ sons, Winkle, said he had sometimes been asked by Mr. Hsu to make contributions, and sometimes he himself had asked family members to donate. But he added: “I have been fortunate in my investments and all of my contributions have been my money.” [snip]

Kent Cooper, a former disclosure official with the Federal Election Commission, said the two-year pattern of donations justifies a probe of possible violations of campaign-finance law, which forbid one person from reimbursing another to make contributions.

“There are red lights all over this one,” Mr. Cooper said.

Count this blog as one voice calling for a probe of possible violations of campaign-finance law, and sooner rather than later.

google map of the Paw Estate…

View Larger Map

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Bomp. Bomp. Bomp.

The latest talking point from the Surge Deniers has been along the lines of…….

“But, but, but, there has been no political progress from the Iraqi government.”

Heh™. Another one bites the dust…

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2007 – President Bush today praised Iraqi leaders for an agreement that will allow former low-level Baath Party officials to serve in the Iraqi government.

The agreement helps meet one of the specific benchmarks set by U.S. legislators and shows progress in the political arena, Bush said during a stop at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M.

Iraqi President Jalal Talibani; Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki; Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi; Vice President Adil Abd al-Mahdi; and Massoud Barzani, president of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, hammered out the agreement and announced the breakthrough yesterday in Baghdad. The agreement still must pass the Iraqi parliament, but U.S. officials are hopeful for its success, since the men represent the largest sects in Iraq. source

Now, you didn’t find this in any MSM news outlet, did you? I wonder why that is?

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How to be an outstanding Democrat

Coz sends this How-to guide for becoming an effective member of the reality-based community:

22 Ways (to be an outstanding democrat)

1. You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion on demand.
2. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity.
3. You have to believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding Americans are more of a threat than U.S. nuclear weapons technology in the hands of Chinese and North Korean communists.
4. You have to believe that there was no art before Federal funding.
5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical documented changes in the earth’s climate and more affected by soccer moms driving SUV’s.
6. You have to believe that gender roles are artificial but being homosexual is natural.
7. You have to believe that the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of federal funding.
8. You have to believe that the same teacher who can’t teach 4th-graders how to read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about sex.

9. You have to believe that hunters don’t care about nature, but loony activists who have never been outside of San Francisco do.
10. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.
11. You have to believe that Mel Gibson spent $25 million of his own money to make The Passion of the Christ for financial gain only.
12. You have to believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain parts of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good because it supports certain parts of the Constitution.
13. You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high.
14. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Thomas Edison & A. G. Bell.
15. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides are not.
16. You have to believe that Hillary Clinton is normal and is a very nice person.
17. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn’t worked anywhere it’s been tried is because the right people haven’t been in charge.
18. You have to believe conservatives telling the truth belong in jail, but a liar and a sex offender belonged in the White House.
19. You have to believe that homosexual parades displaying drag, transvestites, and bestiality should be constitutionally protected, and manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.
20. You have to believe that illegal Democratic Party funding by the Chinese Government is somehow in the best interest of the United States.
21. You have to believe that this message is a part of vast, right wing conspiracy.
22. You have to believe that it’s okay to give Federal workers Christmas Day off but it’s not okay to say ‘Merry Christmas.’

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Two steps forward, one step back

Even as the surge continues to produce impressive results in Bagdhad, Diyala, and Anbar, the withdrawal of British forces in Basra is not producing similar results.

No big surprise, there. But, anyone who thinks the Pelosi-Reid Surrender plan will produce positive results should understand that in the absence of coalition power, others will fill the vacuum. A concerted effort to oust the Mahdi army, and take out Mookie will have to wait for now, but I would not be surprised to see it in the Spring of 2008.

From The Scotsman:

SHIITE militiamen from the Mahdi Army took over the police joint command centre in Basra yesterday as UK soldiers withdrew from the facility and handed control to Iraqi police.

Police left the building when the militiamen, loyal to anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, arrived, witnesses said.

Last night, the MoD disputed the reports, saying it had been in contact with the Iraqi general in charge of security in Basra, who said the Mahdi Army was not there. But witnesses said the Mahdi Army emptied the building in early evening – taking generators, computers, furniture and cars – and remained there.

The British Army had maintained a small number of soldiers at the command centre to help train Iraqi police. However, the British withdrew on Saturday night “in the framework of the plan for the handover” to Iraqi control of British positions in the city, said UK spokesman Major Matthew Bird.

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Gonzo has resigned

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, ending a monthslong standoff with critics over the botched handling of FBI terror investigations and the firings of U.S. attorneys, officials said Monday.

The likely temporary replacement for Gonzales is Solicitor General Paul Clement, who would take over until a permanent replacement is found, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Justice Department planned a news conference for 10:30 a.m. EDT,in Washington. President Bush was expected to discuss Gonzales’ departure – first reported on The New York Times’ Web site – at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, before leaving on a trip to western states.

source

Meanwhile, the largest campaign fraud in the history of the Republic remains unreported by the MSM………
The Congressional Swamp remains undrained, and approval ratings for the Pelosi-Reid Surrender Caucus sinks to historic lows….
Politics—I love this game!

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Truthboating Hillary: The Playbook

Hot on the heels of the Jill Zuckman’s “Hillary Haters”, comes the Truthboating Playbook by DougFromUpland.

“We need to change enough people’s minds with the facts, not Hillary hating,” said Doug at the popular conservative forum, Free Republic.

While Zuckman and other MSM Cheerleaders will try to marginalize the opposition as “pathological haters,” the truth about HRC is enough to sink her candidacy — and that truth will be suppressed by Zuckman et al as long as possible. Further, since the MSM is determined NOT to ask any questions of HRC that might portray her as worthy of anything less than genuflection, it is our patriotic duty to shine the light of truth on the character and candidacy of HRC.

Here is what people need to know:

1. Hillary will soon be under oath. A major business fraud trial will be taking place during the campaign.
2. There exists home video tape with compelling evidence that she illegally participated in the solicitation of a $1.6 million hard money donation.
3. There is evidence that she has had filed on her behalf four false FEC reports, the latest of which was in Jan. 2006. The campaign was fined in Dec. 2005 for deliberately hiding $721K.
4. All of the documentation is at HillCAP.org; the documentary film trailer is at the Equal Justice Foundation of America website.
5. These two videos are key to understanding the civil case and the crimes: HILLARY FELONIES CAUGHT ON TAPE and HOW THE CLINTONS COLLAPSED STAN LEE MEDIA – yes, the creator of Spider Man.

Choose several papers or news stations in your area and go to their websites. Find a contact number for the newsroom, call someone, give them a tease about Hillary soon being under oath in a major case in California. Get an email address. Send them some information. Follow up with a phone call. If they want an interview, let me know.

We have the truth on our side, but it must be heard.

Doug sends this update:

Here is a contact list for reporters. Also, if any of you can get me on any talk show anywhere and anytime, I will be on the show. Contact me through FreeRepublic.
Thanks. dougfromupland.

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Hillary Clinton achievements

Recently touting “… my 35 years of fighting for what I believe in…” HRC has drawn attention to an area of her life that has received no attention from her MSM cheerleaders, and begs the question, “What has HRC accomplished in those 35 years?”

So, I googled Hillary Clinton accomplishments. Newsmax had this list:
Hillary has managed to get the following laws and resolutions enacted:

• Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site
• Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month
• Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor
• Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall
• Name courthouse after James L. Watson
• Name post office after John A. O’Shea

• Designate August 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day
• Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day
• Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death
• Congratulate the Syracuse University Orange Men’s Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
• Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men’s Lacrosse Team on winning the championship
• Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program
• Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda
• Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death
• Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty.

Only five of Clinton’s bills could be described “substantive”, say Morris and McGann:

• Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11
• Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
• Assist landmine victims in other countries
• Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care
• Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the Wilderness Preservation System.

What has she accomplished in 35 years of fighting? I can’t find much. Here, and here are two websites that purportedly tout HRC’s accomplishments, but other than being a “fighter” or “leader” or “working hard”, there is precious little to crow about. Even committed liberals are having to “cut her some slack.”

“I’d also add that Hillary faces a very tough crowd, as the first serious female presidential candidate, when it comes to national security. People do see her as tough, and they need to continue seeing her that way. At a forum in Iowa several months ago, an older man asked her how he could be confident she’d be able, as a woman, to stand up to “bad guys.” So I’m admittedly cutting her some slack on not being an outspoken antiwar voice.”

One of the great criticisms of her husband’s administration was that it was always in campaign mode, continually looking for the political angle, the next opinion poll, saying and doing whatever seemed to be politically expedient. Conversely, one of the great criticisms of GWB has been his lack of going into campaign mode to defend his policies, leaving it to the alternative media to defend and explain his decisions. Looking at the past accomplishments of HRC in her 35 years since leaving the tutelage of Saul Alinsky, a reasonable person has to wonder, what would a HRC administration look like?

Andrew Walden draws this conclusion: “Hillary’s life work has been to acquire and use Federal Power to polarize Americans and through conflict create the new man. A Hillary Presidency could be the last chance for her aging generation of campus radicals to remake America in their own image.”

See Also: French Military Victories

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Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Is It Just Me?, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Big Dog’s Weblog, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, , Stageleft, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The Uncooperative Radio Show!, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Church and State, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, The Random Yak, Nanotechnology Today, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam’s Blog, Webloggin, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, , Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Allie Is Wired, Faultline USA, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Blue Star Chronicles, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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Flicking the Vick

I congratulate NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision to suspend disgraced Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick indefinitely without pay, while at the same time opening the door for the Falcons to get back some of the bonus money they have squandered on this thug.

Until today, the message seemed to be if you were rich enough, arrogant enough, and you had game, then you were immune to the consequences of your actions. Roger Goodell has changed that with one resounding stroke of his commissioner’s pen.

And yes, it has occurred to me that there is a certain perversity to all this. Latrell Sprewell assaulted his coach, Ray Lewis was involved in a murder, and Kobe Bryant was accused of raping a woman (his explanation, “Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did”). All three basically got off scot-free. But harm a pooch, a pissed off PETA leads the charge and the whole world comes crashing down around you.

By now, everyone knows the details of this rather sordid case, so I won’t rehash them here. The point I want to make is that one of life’s constants is the way people, especially young people, idolize sports heroes. In past years it was Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. When I was growing up we had Carl Yastrzemski, Willy Mays, and Henry Aaron, to name just a few. In later years, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Joe Montana were role models. Yes, I know Michael Jordan had some private issues, but at least in public he always behaved like a gentleman.

But today, the likes of Latrell Sprewell, Kobe Bryant, Ray Lewis, and now, Michael Vick offer a dubious example for others to follow. And because teenagers of ALL colors and socioeconomic backgrounds look up to them, their questionable values have permeated seemingly every layer of our culture. Rap music, with it’s message of violence, drug use, and mysogeny, is the music of choice among teens everywhere, regardless of their background. I know this may sound racist, but I am simply pointing out the obvious. Clearly there are many black athletes (Warrick Dunn, Deuce McAllister and Marshall Faulk all spring to mind here) who grew up in even tougher neighborhoods than Vick yet by all accounts are fine human beings.

Vick got what was coming to him. And while it does nothing to right the other above mentioned wrongs, at least it sends a message that, in fact, we still live in a society that values morals and decency, and expects its sports heroes to set an example.

-Smith

“taking up a glowing cinder with the tongs and lighting with it the long cherry-wood pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was in a disputatious rather than a meditative mood”–Dr. John H. Watson

Please visit my blog at murderofravens.wordpress.com

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Rocket Science

This looks like a good spot for an Open Thread.
Use it together
Use it in Peace.
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Is It Just Me?, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, Big Dog’s Weblog, Shadowscope, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, , third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The Uncooperative Radio Show!, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Church and State, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, The Random Yak, Nanotechnology Today, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam’s Blog, Webloggin, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Allie Is Wired, Faultline USA, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Walls of the City, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, High Desert Wanderer, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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Naturalized citizen-soldiers

I’m tired of hearing about people sneaking into this country to do “jobs Americans won’t do.” The folks in this video earned their citizenship because they want to be Americans. They have earned my respect as well.

Thank you for your service. Welcome to America.

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The Clinton tradition

Lying under oath brought impeachment and disgrace to the Clinton White House. You would think the Clintons would have learned.

You would be wrong.

A polygraph taken by Peter Paul directly contradicts the April 2006 sworn affadavit presented to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

DougfromUpland has the details.

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Viet Nam And Clarity Of Purpose!

Of all the contentious debates in American history, the American involvement in the Viet Nam conflict, is near or at the top.
So who do you prefer to believe in this matter? Are their historians, politicians, military leaders, or servicemen and women, who’s judgement you trust best?
I have my own unique experiences from that period of time, and have had them edified numerous times, over the years, from reading other’s perspectives, and from conversations with many Vietnamese survivors of the purge, and their subsequent escape, and eventual settling in this great nation. I found this excellent article by William Kristol, that I highly recommend, and in the article is this letter from the:

Cambodian prime minister Sirik Matak wrote to John Gunther Dean, the American ambassador, turning down his offer of evacuation:

Dear Excellency and Friend:

I thank you very sincerely for your letter and for your offer to transport me towards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion. As for you, and in particular for your great country, I never believed for a moment that you would have this sentiment of abandoning a people which has chosen liberty. You have refused us your protection, and we can do nothing about it. You leave, and my wish is that you and your country will find happiness under this sky. But, mark it well, that if I shall die here on the spot and in my country that I love, it is no matter, because we all are born and must die. I have only committed this mistake of believing in you [the Americans].

Please accept, Excellency and dear friend, my faithful and friendly sentiments.

S/Sirik Matak

That statement alone, irrespective of the results of the abandonment by the U.S., should chill any rational person. For any that believe abandoning a friend, or failing to acknowledge responsibilities and fulfill them, is an honorable or wise course of action, they are not someone I want to know or share a nation with. Claims that President Bush has divided this nation, comes from those who have always worked to divide this nation, and are imposing their own warped view of events on their opponents, that want to see our nation remain free, and to see other nations be free.
President Bush did an end run on the leftists in this country, in the ongoing debate about our involvement in Iraq. That a supposed unintelligent “Cowboy” has consistently outsmarted the supposed intelligent strategists from the left, is an endless source of comedic relief.
From President Bush’s speech to the National VFW Convention:

We fight for the possibility that decent men and women across the broader Middle East can realize their destiny — and raise up societies based on freedom and justice and personal dignity. And as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief we will fight to win. (Applause.) I’m confident that we will prevail. I’m confident we’ll prevail because we have the greatest force for human liberation the world has ever known — the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. (Applause.)

We will prevail! That word ‘prevail’ was used by the last great Republican President as well, as he handed the dishonorable peanut farmer from Georgia a resounding defeat.

“As the years dragged on, we were told that peace would come if we would simply stop interfering and go home. It is time we recognized that ours was, in truth, a noble cause….. There is a lesson for all of us in Vietnam. If we are forced to fight, we must have the means and determination to prevail.”

Some of us have clearly learned from history, and have learned what not to repeat.
I would like to add a few items from some Democrats, or rather, one that is a Democrat, and one that is a Defeatocrat, and a disabled veteran of Viet Nam, from a foolish self-inflicted wound.
First, the Senator from Virginia, James Webb.

The humiliating end result of the communists’ final offensive in early 1975 is usually placed on the shoulders of a supposedly incompetent South Vietnamese military. Little mention is made of the impact our “Watergate Congress” had on both its inception and success. This Congress was elected in November 1974, only months after Nixon’s resignation, and it was dominated by a fresh group of antiwar Democrats. One of the first actions of the new Congress was to vote down a supplemental appropriation for the beleaguered South Vietnamese that would have provided $800 million in military aid, including much-needed ammunition, spare parts and medical supplies.

This vote was a horrendous blow, in both emotional and practical terms, to the country that had trusted American judgment for more than a decade of intense conflict. It was also a clear indication that Washington was abandoning the South Vietnamese even as the North Vietnamese continued to enjoy the support of the Soviet Union, China and other Eastern bloc nations. The vote’s impact was hardly lost on North Vietnamese military planners, who began the final offensive only five weeks later, as the South Vietnamese were attempting to adjust their military defenses.

This from a Wall Street Journal editorial in 2000.
Then there is this sad response, from the former Senator of Georgia, the Defeatocrat Max Cleland, in the Democrat Parties response to the weekly radio address by the President.

One of the lessons to be learned from Vietnam is that the commitment of American military strength alone cannot solve another country’s political weakness.
This should be a somber warning to us all to responsibly end the war in Iraq and the additional loss of precious American lives.

I could add other voices to this discussion, but these should suffice for the purposes of understanding the voices in the debate, at least from my perspective. The fact that the security in Iraq is improving, has been difficult for even the biased representatives of the LameStream media to alter, try as they might, as several Democrat politicians are now grudgingly acknowledging the surges effects, even if they are shifting the goal posts. As a recent Rasmussen Report poll states, War on Terror Confidence Inches Up in August.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of Americans now believe that the U.S. and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That’s up three points from a month ago and just a point shy of the highest level of confidence measured in 2007. The Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 32% now say the terrorists are winning. That’s down from 36% in July.

Unless the Defeatocrats are successful in cutting off the funding for our troops, President Bush will continue to pursue the worthy goal of helping Iraq establish itself as a functioning democratic state.
History is often informative and painful to review, but if hindsight is perfect vision, we have some important lessons learned, that can be applied today.

*See also* Abandon Iraq And See A Viet Nam Horror Show.

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Finally! Thailand Takes Battle To Islamic Schools.

File this one under, “It’s about time!”
There have only been 2,500 lives lost to violent muslims, in the deep south of Thailand, and now, the Thai military has developed a working hypothesis.

After almost four years of battling a deadly separatist struggle against a seemingly nameless foe in Thailand’s deep South, the Thai military have learned a thing or two.

Firstly, they are now convinced that the main organizer behind the violence, which has claimed more than 2,500 lives since early 2004, is the BRN-Coordinate, the political arm of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional or National Revolutionary Front.

Secondly, Thai military intelligence is convinced that the BRN-Coordinate has used the deep South’s Islamic schools (pondoks) and religious teachers (ustas) to recruit and instruct a new generation of Muslim youths dedicated to the Pattani separatist cause and a more militant form of Islam.

Most southern specialists agree that there is an element of truth to the hypothesis.

There have been many arrests in the deep South and many of the suspected insurgents have fingered their ustas as ringleaders.

“The evidence is mounting against the pondoks and some of the radical teachers, forcing many of them to run away,” said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University and a leading expert on the southern conflict.

That’s all well and good, to have put much thought into the problem, and how to address it, but…four years? Twenty-five hundred murders?
I don’t know if my outrage should be placed more on the islamic butchers, that carry out these crimes, or the government for taking so long to isolate the problem, and take action.
I think I will fume at both of them.

Full story can be found here.

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