for Kitty!

My Mic Sounds Nice, Check One...

My mic sounds nice, check two

My mic sounds nice, check three

Are you ready?

Should Dan Rather Be Fired?

O'Reilly is a pompous ass, but he made a great point interviewing Juan Williams tonight. He said he did not believe Dan Rather is a liar, but he was misled--and he tied it to the WMD issue where Bush was misled by evidence that was later found false.

So when someone says, "Bush Lied!" ask them, "Should Dan Rather be fired and rebuked because of these documents? If they believe that Bush lied about WMD based on documentation sourced by the CIA and every intelligence agency in the free world and should not be elected because of it, then Dan Rather should be fired--stripped of his journalistic credentials--and be repudiated by the industry and never be able to work "in this town again."

Slutwear (a.k.a Wet Seal)

Wild Bill talks about the demise of slutwear in the fashion industry:

I usually do not post on what is going on in the fashion world, but I could not resist this one. It is about time women started dressing more like the beautiful women that they are instead of the whore slut look that has inundated today’s fashions and teen culture. It seems that fashion designers have realized woman want to return to grace not to the street corners.

From Reuters, 'Slutwear' Is So Last Year on New York Runways. Godfrey Deeny, senior fashion critic at Fashion Wire Daily says, "The slut is out now. She's dead." Commenting on the new looks for next year Deeny says, "It's very ladylike, it’s not jump-into-bed fashion."

Does this mean their will be a new woman's movement that aspires to return to the pursuit of GRACE? A woman of GRACE will earn more respect any day over an easy slut. For the ladies out there looking for 'Mr. Right', he is looking for a woman of GRACE, 'Mr. Right Now', is looking for a one-night-slut.

Susan Estrich, who I really love outside of an election year, discusses slutwear here.

Andrew Sullivan: Half Redeemed

I don't know if I can give this man a voice until after the election since he is stumping for Kerry using his cock as a dowrod.

But he defends us bloggers very well in the latest edition of the New Republic:

Blogging's comparative advantage has nothing to do with the alleged superior skills of bloggers or their higher intelligence, quicker wit, or more fabulous physiques. The blogosphere is a media improvement because the sheer number of blogs, and the speed of response, make errors hard to sustain for very long. The collective mind is also a corrective mind. Transparency is all. And the essence of journalistic trust is not simply the ability to get things right and to present views or ideas or facts clearly and entertainingly. It is also the capacity to admit error, suck it up, and correct what you've gotten wrong. Take it from me. I've both corrected and been corrected. When you screw up, it hurts. But in the long run, it's a good hurt, because it takes you down a peg or two and reminds you what you're supposed to be doing in the first place. Any journalist who starts mistaking himself for an oracle needs to be reminded who he is from time to time.

The whole article is here.

Tragedy in Government School

Teen Dies in School Fight

I am going to be a jerk in this post. First, I want to ask everyone pray for the family of this boy who was beaten to death in a government high school in Tennessee. This sort of violence is completely unacceptable and those involved should meet swift and harsh justice.

Having said that, I was struck by the bio: 14 Year Old Eight Grader...I believe most people are 11 or 12 in 8th grade, so what's the deal here? After the investigation into his murder is completed, someone needs to explain whay a 14 year old was in a middle school!

People need to start pulling their kids out of state run, government schools and pool together and teach them at home. The fact a 14 year old is in 8th grade is a complete failure of our socialist school system.

His death is tragic and makes me sick to my stomach. Beyond that, his parents, to keep his death from being a vain gang related death, should use this incident to champion reform of the way our children are educated.

UPDATE: For someone who took Calculus in High School, I can't even add! Thanks, Kip for the correction. It's still ridiculous that this guy was beaten to death in a middle school bathroom.

$3 Dollar Bills

HEADLINE: CBS Stands By Claim of Bush National Guard Payoff

DATELINE: WASHINGTON

BODY:

Faced with the second major controversy this month about its reporting on President Bush's National Guard service, CBS News on Friday defended its report that President Bush had used $3 bills to bribe Texas Air National Guard officials in 1973.

The latest dispute erupted after the CBS News program "60 Minutes II" reported earlier this week that Bush had used several thousand $3 bills to buy the silence of National Guard officials who were questioning whether he had met his service obligations. The program featured color photocopies of some of the currency allegedly used to pay the bribes.

Conservative critics on the Internet immediately cried foul, claiming that there was no such thing as a $3 bill, and some news organizations later quoted "experts" as expressing doubt that such a denomination ever existed.

Claims were also made that the bills were "doctored" versions of recent $5 bills. Some of the bills, while containing 3's in each corner, bear the text "FIVE DOLLARS." The bills contain portraits of former President William Jefferson Clinton that appear roughly one centimeter left of center on the face of the bills.

The right-wing critics contend that the Treasury Department did not begin printing currency with left-of-center portraits until the mid-1990s. They also argue that Clinton's portrait would not have appeared on currency in 1973, 20 years before he became president.

The critics also assert that the copies of the bills were produced by color imaging and printing methods that weren't available three decades ago.

CBS has declined to say where the bills came from, but has said they came from "solid sources."

On Friday's "CBS Evening News," anchor Dan Rather said that "no definitive evidence" had emerged to prove the currency was not authentic.

"As with the earlier memos, if any definitive evidence comes up, we will report it," Rather said.

The show broadcast an excerpt of an interview with Terry McAuliffe, a currency expert, who said that the $3 bills were genuine. In Friday night's report, McAuliffe said, "I've handled a lot of cash in my life, and I can't say that I've never seen a $3 bill. These bills look real to me. But if they aren't real, then I'm sure Karl Rove had something to do with them."

The CBS report stated "with absolute certainty" that the disputed currency could have been produced by the government in the early 1970s.

According to CBS, its sources in the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing had confirmed that the government had the capability of producing $3 bills in 1973. Rather said that "Treasury officials acknowledge that the government was able to print a '3' just as easily as it could print a '1', '2', or a '5.'"

Independent experts consulted by the Amalgamated Press appear to share this view. A leading practitioner of numerology said that "the number '3', like the other Arabic numerals, has been around a long time." According to the numerologist, who requested anonymity, the number '3' dates back to at least the 6th century AD, and perhaps earlier. "There's no question the United States government was aware of the number before 1973 and easily could have put it on legal tender," she said.

The CBS program also pointed out that several of the documents found in Bush's official National Guard files used the number '3'. The number appears, for example, in the date "1973," the year some of the documents were created.

"These documents demonstrate conclusively that the number '3' was available for use by the government in the early 70s," said CBS's Rather, who reported both the Friday segment and the earlier "60 Minutes II" piece.

Noting that Clinton was born in 1946, CBS's consulting experts also stated that it was entirely possible that the future president could have posed for a portrait before 1973.

Nevertheless, the network's right-wing critics continued to deny the possibility that the $3 bills were real.

One blogger's online post exclaimed: "It's RIDICULOUS that we're even DISCUSSING the possibility of a $3 bill. Haven't you ever heard of the phrase "queer as a $3 bill"? It only makes sense because there is NO SUCH THING as a $3 bill!!!"

Responding to this claim, a CBS spokesman said, "The credibility of our news organization should not be called into question by the homophobic rants of people in pajamas."

Reached by telephone late last night, the blogger declined to comment on whether he was wearing pajamas.

— George Conway is an attorney in New York City who is familiar with the default settings in Microsoft Word. From National Review

The Gathering

I left late with my beagle, Dutch, in tow. I drove down the Baltimore/Washington Parkway banging out to "Ghetto Music" by Outkast. Once on New York Avenue I get cut off by some idiot lady in an SUV trying to make a U-turn at a major intersection and have to slam on my brakes and hit my horn. I turn to the police car next to me and say, "what are you gonna do?" He said I was speeding! Lame.

I had no trouble finding the rally or parking as I pulled up behind a truck with telling bumperstickers.



I got out of the car and spoke with a wonderful woman from Virginia with two beautiful little boys. We talked for a moment and I let the kids pet Dutch. The kid showed me a pictoral story he drew in the van about how Kerry is bad for America. I was impressed because it was not based on talking points--he knew what a true lie was and how liars should not be president. I told the lady that I was impressed with the next generation of republicans--she said that was all her husband's doing (jokingly).

I pass the expected counter-protestors (18-30 years olds) gawking and yelling profanities to the Vietnam Vets quitely practicing their right to assemble and protest. There were a handful of Viet Nam veterans with them and I want to thank them for their service for the country. But there were not many.



Dutch and I walked closer to the rally to hear a woman speaking; she spoke about honor and loyalty and drew many applause from the crowd.



I head over to the registration booth where I meet two wonderful women and one fine young man manning the booth. I asked how much the bumperstickers and pins cost.




They said they are free and take what you will use and display (what charity!). I insisted on giving them $20 dollars and took a picture of them. They were with Viet Nam Vets Against John Kerry.



Strolling around the lawn Dutch became mesmorized by a horse (something he'd never seen before).



I began to notice that these were not "protestors." These were citizens with a legitimate beef.



They were not the Generation Next crowd at the bottom of the steps chanting hateful slogans when they are too young to know anything. I see men and women PROUD that they served in Viet Nam.



They wear their pins and uniforms and flags.



They held placcards with succint statements whose message was as powerful as its brevity.



He called us rapists; He called us murderers; He called us traitors; Kerry is Phoney.



I listened to the sermon by a chaplain that drew tears in the eyes of Vets who to this day felt robbed of their sacrifice because of people like John Kerry that used popular sentiment to further their political aspirations.



I also bumped into people my age, college aged folks and asked them, "are you counter-protestors working undercover?" ABSOLUTELY NOT!



What a breath of fresh air to see people who are there simply to pay their respect to those who fought for our freedom. I shook the hands of three men and thanked them saying, "I wasn't alive during Viet Nam, but I know that I am free today because of the sacrifices you and your friends made."



The air there was aged, filled with smells and vibes I will never understand. The look, feel and fraternity of these vets is distinctly different than the "Greatest Generation" with their VFW hats and such.



What was familiar was the breeze of Americanism; the smell was intoxicating and overwhelming; it smothered any funk coming from the granola kids at the bottom of the hill who refused to listen to people who might have something to say. Thank goodness for DC's finest.



This was not a political rally.



It claimed to be a rally against Kerry, but it was a rally against the haze of liberalism over history--that they refuse to allow hippies who did not fight define their contribution to the survival of our ideals of freedom and liberty.



These are people who refuse to be robbed of what they gave blood and tears to obtain: our respect, gratitude and a fair hearing of their opinions.

Give this Guy a Medal

WOW! I have never seen such keen analysis; only people blinded by ideology (i.e. Dan Blather and See B.S.) would say this doesn't raise suspicious about the documents authenticity...

The author of this analysis is looking for bandwidth support. Since Andrew Sullivans bandwidth is gold-plated, I suggest he donate!

Analysis

Vocabulary Lesson

Owen at Boots & Sabers points us to a new term coined by Jay Nordlinger to replace the unrepresentative "suicide-bomber": Islamikaze.

Assault Weapons Ban Expires

First, I've always thought that the term, "assualt weapons" was repetitive. Alpha Patriot weighs in on this issue:

Second, it is the expiration of the most useless (indeed, damaging) piece of legislation in history, the Assault Weapons Ban. Yet who supports the highly unpopular ban? Kerry, of course:

Evidence notwithstanding, there are many who want to renew the ban. John Kerry has offered up the argument that assault weapons are not needed for hunting, so the government can and should ban them. Kerry said last week, "I support the Second Amendment. I've been a hunter all my life." In April his spokesman said, "John Kerry used assault weapons in the military, so he understands that they're not meant for hunting dove or deer."

It's scary when a man who may well become President of the United States thinks the Second Amendment — which says, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" — refers to hunting, not self-defense.

Precisely.

Pray for Blessing for Chris Muir

Day by Day cartoonist Chris Muir is facing tremendous challenges with cancer in family members. Please pray daily for their survival, recovery to full health and for Chris in his support for them.

You are in my prayers, Chris...hope you are back soon! Here is his message:

2004 Anti-teror Awards by Men's Journal

Um, I agree with this list except one; you guess who I think sucks:

Intro by John McCain: "All the heroes of 9-11 and the war on terrorism that began that day, have reminded us what courage really looks like."

1. The First Responders: Passengers of Flight 93.

2. The Protector: Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly.

3. The Warrior: "Texas Good ol' Boy," Tommy Franks.

4. The Truth Teller: Clinton Counter-terrorism Czar, Richard Clarke

5. The Advocates: The 9-11 Widows, "the Jersey Girls."

6. The Enforcer: French Judge who "Lockes up more terrorists than anyone else," Jean-Louis Bruguiere

7. The Terrorist Hunter: Special Ops Vet, William McRaven

8. The Educator: Mountaineer, Greg Mortenson

9. The Civil Disobedient: College Student, Nathaniel Heatwole

10. The Innovator: Marine, David Karcher

11. The Warriors: Men and Women, The American Soldier (picture of Pat Tillman shown)

Um, if you guessed the lizard, Richard Clarke, counter-terrorism czar that did anything BUT prevent terrorism, you guessed right!!!

Second place goes to that Franco-frog Judge...whoever he is!

Selectric 1971 versus Word 2004

Do you think someone could produce something almost identical with Microsoft Word 2004 document from a document typed in 1971 with a typewriter that didn't even have the same font? Note: New Times Roman was a typefont of the London Times copyrighted to Microsoft in the 80's.

I ask you to look and THINK! What do you see? Do you see something suspicious or do you see whatever Dan Rather tells you?

Thanks Little Green Footballs by way of Instapundit.

Palantino type (another Word font) is showcased. Thanks Kitty and Pat at Kerry Haters.

A Kerry Foreign Policy

I am watching Meet the Press with Madeline Albright...she is tongue twisting and spinning her way through the entire interview.

Her claim is that Bush messed up the Iraq occupation. Okay, I will grant her that. Bush himself admitted that he "miscalculated" the insurgency that occured because of such a swift victory.

What surprises me is this matter-of-factness with democrats that if they were in control, everything about the war on terror would have been roses. So let's look at that:

1. Democrats claim that they would have focused all their attention on al-Queda and put many more troops in Afghanistan. But many believed, and have history to show, that bin Laden's goal was to bog us down into a Viet Nam style conflict like the Russians found themselves in during the 1980's. Putting tens of thousands more troops in Afghanistan would have played right into Bin Laden, al-Queda and the Taliban's hands.

2. Democrats claim that they would have gotten Germany, France and Russia on board for the war in Iraq. Setting France and Germany aside since it's been demonstrated they were paid-off by Saddam Hussein, let's look at Russia. Were the democrats with the leadership of Clinton and the statecraft of Madeline Albright able to get Russia on board with Kosovo and Bosnia? Absolutely not! So did they not have a coalition?

3. Lastly, Kerry and the democrats slam Bush on his inability to predict the future and see an insurgency (even though he prevented a humanitarian crisis, refugee exodus and Saddam attacking Israel). Kerry thinks he could have managed the occupation perfectly. I ask that you look how well Kerry manages things as an executive; look at his campaign staff. The man cannot even do damage control over 250 vets pissed off over what he did 30 years ago. No one on his staff could predict this even though the Swift Vets announced their intentions in April. No one on his staff could have predicted a successful Republican National Convention with a bounce. So Kerry's sound management skills goes after Bush's Air National Guard record!

So we see Kerry's wonderful management skills complimented with his staff's mystical ability at soothesaying. Faced with bad polls, he goes after a non-issue, like he accuses Bush of doing by going after Saddam Hussein while 1/4 of al-Queda is still running loose in Afghanistan. We see the Clintonian style of management in John Kerry; and America, as much as they love the "idea" of Clinton, are smart enough to know that you cannot fight a war based on how someone feels when they are approached for a survey in the mall or on a telephone--a person who just paid $30 to fill up their Geo Metro is going to say, "I don't like how this country is going."

We see that John Forbes Kerry cannot even manage an election...let alone a war. He had to fire everyone from his primary campaign (which he only one because he trotted the person he saved in Viet Nam around the country); he failed to get a convention bounce out of a convention the democrats managed and failed to forsee the attacks on his anti-war stances, his Lt. Governorship to Michael Dukakis and his horrible senate record...and he's suppposed to know how to handle a war?

Not on your life.

Letters from Afghanistan

My friend from college writes more on her experience in serving her country and our new found allies in Afghanistan:

Dear friends and family,

I hope you’re well – happy and healthy. Thank you for all the emails of concern. I’m quite touched by them. But you can rest easy that life here is not as crazy as it seems. I’m not dodging rockets, sporting bullet proof vests, or crouching in bunkers.

In fact, as once explained to me, it’s more the poverty that I’m struck by. Dirt roads, free flowing sewage, and beggars in burqas mark the landscape more than any signs of fighting or instability.

Amid the poverty is juxtaposed this surreal richness that adds an element of humor if not irony to the experience. Take my new home for example. Located in one of the nicest neighborhoods, I live in a complex that contains two houses and an annex that in total can comfortably accommodate eight people. In order to comply with UN standards, the complex employs four guards; a cleaner or two; and a house manager. As the only “Dari” speaker, I have the task of managing the workers, so I find myself bossing them around to “pick up this” and “clean up that”. Though tiring, I’m quite amused by this role as it confirms the colonial nature of my existence here. Of course, by virtue of speaking the local language, the colonial aspect is marginally diminished but I like to compare myself to the mulatto, who neither fits as subject nor colonist but desperately strives for the latter. I only await the day that I cease referring to the staff as “people” and instead start complaining about “the help”.

But the real richness comes in the form of Pakistani trucks that illegally export Afghan timber and import AK-47s. These trucks serve as my new obsession as they are the most beautiful machinery I’ve seen in my life. While the vehicles are typical of the region (poor, old, polluting…), the designs and colors the artists paint on the truck is incomparable: Intricate floral scenes and geometric shapes with beads and dainty chains adorn the trucks, such that they jingle when driving past. Everyday, I commute past customs where the trucks pull over for their routine inspection, and I longingly gaze at the masterpieces that block Kabuli traffic – a magnificent way to start the day!

Perhaps the most surreal aspect of my life is the gym I attend regularly. Housed in the Coalition Forces compound, the gym is fairly modest by US standards, with a dozen or so aerobic machines cramped in a small room with questionable circulation. Most of the trainers are military, as demonstrated by their crew cuts and “Army” t-shirts. But just in case I had my doubts, they enter the gym with their weapons. So as I sweat away the kabobs I shouldn’t have eaten, my fellow exercise enthusiasts take off their holsters and set aside their machine guns. I’ve fancied talking to them but am afraid I will say something horribly offensive, thereby warranting them to shoot me, and in my exhausted state, I figure its best not to take any chances.

Though I have so much more to share (like stories of my old roommate who unpacked his gun outside of my bathroom or the random text messages I receive to rejoice and praise Allah), I see I have written quite a bit for one letter and so I will end this now. Thank you again for supporting me in this fixation of mine of Afghanistan.

Eppur si muove!

Wizbang, going for the blogging gold, writes a stirring piece about the impending triumph of blogging over mainstream media:

Legend has it that, as [Galileo] rose from his coerced confession and declaration that the Earth was the center of the universe, and all revolves around it, he said under his breath "Eppur si muove" - "and yet it moves."

It started in cyberspace, the new frontier of mass communications. The three people who run Powerline first started speaking of the inconsistencies of the memos, the incredible difficulty involved in creating such works with 30-year-old technology. They stood up to the mighty juggernaut that is CBS and pointed out these flaws. "Eppur si muove!" they cried.

But there was no answer from the juggernaut.

Others took up their cause, and did their own investigations. Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs approached from the opposite direction. He recreated the memos in question using modern technology available to nearly everyone today, and produced virtually identical memos. Everything matched, nearly down to the finest point. He pointed this out to CBS and all who would listen. "Eppur si muove!" he cried.

But there was no answer from the juggernaut.

Even more voices were raised. Law Professor Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, renowned as the Blogfather of the whole online weblog community, spoke up. Hugh Hewitt, radio talk show host and blogger, cast his voice against the memos. Roger Simon, journalist and blogger, weighed in against CBS. Numerous other respected blogs - the collective authors of The Command Post, INDC Journal, Shape of Days, our own Kevin and Paul of Wizbang, The Captain's Quarters, The Daily Recycler, the Ace of Spades HQ, Rather Biased, Kerry Spot, and countless too many others to mention - all started shouting truth to power. "Eppur si muove!" they cried. "Eppur si muove!"

But there was no answer from the juggernaut.

Have We Learned?

A repeat of my Watcher's Council award winning post in rememberance of 9/11 and the choice we face; will we celebrate our fallen heros by showing them that we've learned our lesson?

____________________________

HELP IS ON THE WAY..



Fellow Americans,



While you plunge to your death please remember that John Forbes Kerry will go after the terrorists...after you hit the ground.



And those terrorists will be tried in U.S. Courts (where O.J. Simpson received American Justice) as criminals with hundreds of attorneys from the Middle East, Germany and France defending them; and, since Kerry does not support the death penalty for terrorists, will spend the rest of their lives in jail contemplating their actions.



Remember, these are criminals and your death resulted from an act of murder, NOT war.



Rest assured, sir, as you fall to your death, that the Kerry Doctrine will do its best to avenge your death but will do nothing to prevent it.



R.I.P.

Kerry Spokesman Moonlights for Rather

Dan Rather, Republican

I must admit, shamefully, that I have not been diligent in reading my friend Tyler's exceptional blog--Red Line Rants. He was gone for a week supporting our paciderms in New York City. But he came back strong...particularly with this little what if:

If Dan Rather were on our side, you could more or less apply his statement about these Killian documents to the debate over the existence of Iraqi WMDs...

"This report was not based solely on recovered documents, but rather on a preponderance of evidence, including documents that were provided by unimpeachable sources, interviews with former Republican Guard officials and individuals who worked closely back in the early 1990s with Tariq Aziz and were well acquainted with his procedures, his character and his thinking.

In addition, the documents are backed up not only by independent handwriting and intelligence experts but by sources familiar with their content. Contrary to some rumors, no internal investigation is underway at the Pentagon nor is one planned."

A Nation for Me

Bouncing through Alpha Patriot I found this week's winner of the Watcher's Council, Chadster's: It's not the Thought, It's the Dream that Counts.

I want to see an America that is ready for me, where I can live out my personal ambitions and dreams. I believe Pres. Bush sees that America. He may have some misguided ideas as to how that dream can be “helped", but they all do. The difference is the dream. Is it possible for me to live my version of the American dream? In the two Americas, no. In the one nation under God, yes. In Kerry’s poll-pleasing welfare state, no. In Bush’s decisive leadership of a free nation, yes.

First Wedding on the Temple Mount Since Christ

Arutz Sheva reports:

For possibly the first time in over 1,930 years, a Jewish wedding ceremony of sorts was held on the Temple Mount this afternoon. The groom, from a Jewish town in eastern Judea, placed a ring on his young bride's finger in front of a group of friends, and then recited the traditional blessing on the wine. Muslim Waqf officials, usually very vehement about not allowing Jewish prayers to be said at the site, sufficed with a weak protest. The couple's friends accompanied the new family with singing and dancing.

An aura of mystery surrounded the event. Students at the groom's yeshiva refused to answer questions about the ceremony - though it is known that a "follow-up" real wedding ceremony will be held this evening.

Gays for Guns

Armed Gays Don't Get Bashed!

An interesting twist on the Gods, guns and gays issue: Gays taking up arms to defend themselves against hate and fervently supporting the 2nd Amendment. You go girls!

Check out the boys here.

Couldn't They?

From David Limbaugh's great column today:

Almost since the day many of them voted for the resolution authorizing the president to attack Iraq, the Democrats have been obstructing and hurling nonstop invective at President Bush. Couldn't these people, just once, have put partisanship aside and applauded our progress in Iraq? Couldn't they have celebrated the ouster of the brutal dictator? Couldn't they have rooted for our troops to be greeted as liberators instead of lying in wait like panting dogs to gleefully pronounce that the Iraqi people didn't want us there? Couldn't they have shrieked with horror along with us at Saddam's mass graves? Couldn't they have quit playing politics at least long enough to give the world the impression we had a united front here in the United States?

FAKE!

The documents are fake. I looked at them all day and just cannot believe that they are real with all the discrepencies. WorldNetDaily did a great piece outlining all the issues with the Bush memos giving credit to the great Little Green Footballs and Powerline Blog.

Now DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe says that Karl Rove is behind the memos!

meltdown.

Television in Iraq

You won't find this story on 60 Minutes:

Since its launch in June, al-Sharqiya, the upstart Iraqi channel that produces "Labor and Materials," has been introducing reality TV to a nation that was used to anything but during Saddam Hussein's three decades in power.

The new programming, which also includes soap operas, "Tom and Jerry" cartoons, sports analysis, music videos and original sitcoms, has captivated a populace desperate to escape the endless reminders of car bombings, kidnappings and assassinations on the all-news Arab networks.

An upcoming drama series on al-Sharqiya called "The Looters" will feature families who grew rich off the spoils of ransacking after the U.S.-led war last year. Another show, called "Iraq's Most Melancholy Home Videos," will capture the reactions of Iraqis watching footage of former neighbors now living abroad. "Blessed Wedding" will follow a young couple as they get married, go on their honeymoon and adjust to domestic life together.

"The Iraqis were not used to these kinds of programs," said Alaa Dahan, 37, the director of al-Sharqiya, the country's first privately owned satellite TV station. "But we have to depend on the reality, to focus on the reality, particularly what happened after the war, both the positive and negative sides."

WICTORY WEDNESDAY

Please help re-elect our commander-in-chief! Please donate and volunteer to the campaign not only of Bush but of any Republican running for office; we need sweeping majorities to defeat Democratic obstructionism.

Andrew Sullivan Meet David Brock

Andrew Sullivan is the latest casualty to left-wing bomb throwing blinded solely by his homosexuality; he believes his ability to marry another man is the most important obstacle our nation faces. Blinded by his dick, he shows how a singular issue will blind people to all the rest as he denounces conservatives and republicans thusly:

I CANNOT SUPPORT HIM IN NOVEMBER: I will add one thing more. And that is the personal sadness I feel that this president who praises freedom wishes to take it away from a whole group of Americans who might otherwise support many parts of his agenda. To see the second family tableau with one family member missing because of her sexual orientation pains me to the core. And the president made it clear that discriminating against gay people, keeping them from full civic dignity and equality, is now a core value for him and his party.

Or by comparing conventioneers to Orwellians citizens of North Korea (who eat each other):

When your convention pushes so many different messages, and is united with screaming chants of "U.S.A.", and built around what was becoming almost a cult of the Great Leader.

Andrew Sullivan still doesn't understand, because he cannot have a certificate endorsing gay sex, why anyone would love their country over their party.

Andrew Sullivan is "family" but is a bastard none-the-less.

Another Viet Nam Kerry Ad!

Well, this one is very good!



Check out the site at Viet Nam Vets Against Kerry. And if you still think that only these vets feel betrayed by John Kerry, you can check out these other sites:

Swift Vets
Hanoi John
Against Kerry
Vets Against Kerry
Viet Nam Special Forces Against Kerry
John Kerry...War Hero?
Winter Soldier
Viet Nam Vets Against John Kerry
POW MIA Families Against John Kerry

A Google search will produce 100s more.

Unilateralism

Um, someone forgot to show this map to John F. Kerry and the democrats...



Thanks Poliblog.

Chinese Campaign Contributions

Well, I talked about John Kerry taking money from Communist China in my Real Manchurian Candidate. Looks like the news is picking up this topic as well:

Washington, D.C., public interest group has released FBI documents it says indicates Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry accepted laundered contributions from the Chinese government during his 1996 Senate re-election campaign.

The organization Judicial Watch also contends that in exchange for the donations, Kerry might have arranged meetings between federal government officials and Chinese aerospace executives.

"These disturbing FBI documents raise further questions about Sen. Kerry's involvement in what looks like a quid pro quo -- cash for meetings -- with the communist Chinese," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.

The Kerry campaign had no immediate comment.

Read the rest here; thanks Instapundit.

More 527s

Crush Kerry points us to Move on for America with two more commercials. I have to admit that I don't care for these ads. Anything untrue in them? No. They just lack something stylistically:



What do you think?

A Great Joke

A powerful senator dies after a prolonged illness.
His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter.
"Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem.
We seldom see so high an official around these parts,
you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says the guy.
"Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up.
What we'll do is have you spend
one day in Hell and one in Heaven.
Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
"Really, I've made up my mind.
I want to be in Heaven," says the senator.
"I'm sorry but we have our rules."
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator
and he goes down, down, down to Hell.
The doors open and he finds himself in
the middle of a green golf course.
In the distance is a club and standing
in front of it are all his friends and other politicians
who had worked with him.
Everyone is very happy and in evening attire.
They run to greet him, hug him,
and reminisce about the good times they had while
getting rich at the expense of the people.
They play a friendly game of golf and
then dine on lobster and caviar.
Also present is the Devil, who really is a very friendly guy
who has a good time dancing and telling jokes.
They are having such a good time that,
before he realizes it, it is time to go.
Everyone gives him a big hug and waves while the elevator rises.
The elevator goes up, up, up and the
door reopens on Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.
"Now it's time to visit Heaven."
So 24 hours pass with the head of state
joining a group of contented souls
moving from cloud to cloud,
playing the harp and singing.
They have a good time and, before he realizes it,
the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
"Well then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven.
Now choose your eternity"
He reflects for a minute, then the senator answers,
"Well, I would never have said it,
I mean Heaven has been delightful,
but I think I would be better off in Hell."
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and
he goes down, down, down to Hell.
Now the doors of the elevator open and
he is in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.
He sees all his friends, dressed in rags,
picking up the trash and putting it in black bags.
The Devil comes over to him and lays his arm on his neck.
"I don't understand," stammers the senator.
"Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and
club and we ate lobster and caviar and danced and had a great time.
Now all there is, is a wasteland full of garbage
and my friends look miserable.
The Devil looks at him, smiles and says,
"Yesterday we were campaigning...
Today you voted for us!"

Sophie's Choice

Michelle Malkin points us to this article that will surely bring tears to your eyes:

Guerrillas armed with automatic rifles and explosive belts who are holding hundreds of hostages at the small provincial school in southern Russia allowed 26 women and children to leave. About a dozen mothers, like Dzandarova, were allowed to take only one child, forced to leave another behind.

"I didn't want to make this choice," a stunned-looking Dzandarova, 27, said in the reception room of her father-in-law's house a few miles from the school. "People say they are happy that my son and I are saved. But how can I be happy if my daughter's still inside there?"

Violence often selects its victims randomly, but seldom is a mother asked to make a Sophie's choice: Save one child and leave behind another, possibly to face death....

..."They said, 'Pack your things quickly, and take your babies with you,' " Dzandarova said.

Shortly after, she learned that she would have to choose between taking her son or her daughter.

Dzandarova had both Alan and Alana with her and made a snap decision to pass Alana to her 16-year-old sister-in-law. But the guerrillas saw through the ruse and refused to allow her to take the older child.

"Alana was clinging to me and holding my hand firmly. But they separated us, and said: 'You go with the boy. Your sister can stay here with her.' I cried. I begged them. Alana cried. The women around us wept. One of the Chechens said: 'If you don't go now, you don't go at all. You stay here with your children … and we will shoot all of you.' "

She couldn't save both of them. She could only die with both of them — or save one of them and herself.

"I didn't have time to think what I was doing," she said. "I pressed Alan even stronger to myself, and I went out, and I heard all the time how my daughter was crying and calling for me behind my back. I thought my heart would break into pieces there and then."

Not once in the article do they call the murderers terrorists. Please pray that this woman's daughter is still alive.

UPDATE: SHE GOT HER DAUGHTER BACK! That is a reason to celebrate.

Why Europe (except Italy, Poland and England) Doesn't Get It!

Little Green Footballs points us to the Russian disgust at an EU statement regarding the massacre in Belsan:

Russia has described as "blasphemous" a request by the European Union for an explanation to the bloody end to a mass hostage seizure at a school by Chechen gunmen.

More than 320 people, almost half of them children were found dead after troops stormed a school in the southern Russian town of Beslan, where the separatists held more than 1,000 hostages for 53 hours.

In a statement in the name of the presidency of the 25-nation EU, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot said on Friday that all countries should work together to stop such tragedies.

"But we also would like to know from the Russian authorities how this tragedy could have happened," he added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reacted with outrage on Saturday.

"Mr. Bot's elaborations are an absolute contrast with the wide international support and solidarity with Russia in these tragic days," the ministry statement said.

"Inappropriate statements by the Dutch minister look odious ... and blasphemous," it added. "We expect explanations from the Dutch side."

Interfax news agency later said that the Dutch ambassador had been summoned to the Foreign ministry over Bot's statement.

Remember, Russia is one of those nations who are not involved in Iraq. So why are they being attacked? Because terrorists DON'T CARE! All these statements by the Democrats saying that the Iraq war created more terrorists is stupid, they are everywhere! And they don't care at all about Iraq.

Mark Steyn

Pat at Kerry Haters introduced me to Mark Steyn (I don't know why I'd never heard of him before). He is an excellent writer and I want to share him with you like Pat did with me:

I remember a couple of days after Sept. 11 writing that weepy candlelight vigils were a cop-out: the issue wasn't whether you were sad about the dead people but whether you wanted to do something about it. Three years on, the two conventions drew the same distinction. If you want passivity and wallowing in victim culture, the Dems will do. If you want to win this thing, Bush is the only guy running.

Read the whole column here.

Muslim Self-Criticism

Boots & Sabers--after their chicken sex story--point us to a great column (the first of its kind?) that demonstrates that some muslims are getting it.

“Our terrorist sons are an end-product of our corrupted culture,” Abdulrahman al-Rashed, general manager of Al-Arabiya television wrote in his daily column published in the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. It ran under the headline, “The Painful Truth: All the World Terrorists are Muslims!”

Al-Rashed ran through a list of recent attacks by Islamic extremist groups — in Russia, Iraq, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen — many of which are influenced by the ideology of Osama Bin Laden, the Saudi-born leader of the al-Qaida terror network.

“Most perpetrators of suicide operations in buses, schools and residential buildings around the world for the past 10 years have been Muslims,” he wrote. Muslims will be unable to cleanse their image unless “we admit the scandalous facts,” rather than offer condemnations or justifications.

“The picture is humiliating, painful and harsh for all of us,” al-Rashed wrote.

Terrorists Kill over 350 Women and Children

Please pray for our friends in Russia who are facing horrible grief. Also, please pray for Vladimir Putin who will need guidance in his (hopefully forceful) response to the six acts of terrorism in the last two weeks (more than 500 dead).

President Clinton Will Have Heart Surgery

Please keep our former president in your prayers this weekend. Pray for his recovery and for Hillary and for Chelsea.

You can post well wishes, encouragement and prayers at the Clinton Foundation.

Christmas in Austria

After a completely successful RNC in New York City the media is gearing up to run John Kerry's campaign for him. Proof? CNN interviews obscure Austrian historians that are now questioning the memory of an 8 year old boy here.

AIDS in AFRICA

Bono is on O'Reilly and is totally respectable. He is completely bipartisan and making the issue of saving Africans from the scourge of AIDS. Bono gets a gold star (like Ben Affleck) for not being a bomb-thrower.

South Park Republicans in the Opinion Journal

Bridget Johnson discusses the Screen Righters:

Forget about pricey summer blockbusters. Forget the films vying for Oscar that are all crunched into December releases. This year, it's all about pre-election films. Not the incendiary "Fahrenheit 9/11," not the remake of "The Manchurian Candidate" that mysteriously erased Red China as the villain, replacing it with an American corporation, but a film that promises to strike even more anger into the hearts of angry liberals everywhere.

When the buzz first started for "Team America: World Police," bloggers theorized what the Trey Parker/Matt Stone send-up of action movies would entail--these are, after all, the gents who gave the world Comedy Central's "South Park." Then juicy tidbits started dribbling into the Internet Movie Database, like the plot outline: "Marionette superheroes fight to end terrorism and put tired celebrities out of their misery." Who could oppose that?

Naked Cowboys

Love Bush!

WOOF!

DNC Chairman Somewhat Honest

I am sorry, but I saw Terry last night being interviewed during the RNC and I think he is dumbfounded and overwhelmed. His talking points started to decay and he just started answering questions about John Kerry. Check out the exlusive interview at Hugh Hewitt's Blog.

More Terrorist Leaders for John Kerry

Michael Freund in the Jerusalem Post writes:

The excitement is palpable. You can almost feel it in the air. The dictators of the Arab world just can't wait for George W. Bush to lose the US presidential election in November.

Gripped with fear as they watch Bush's democratic experiment in Iraq take shape, the tyrants and despots of the Middle East are pinning their hopes on Democratic challenger John Kerry to prevail.

After all, the last thing they want to see is a second-term Bush determined to reform the region, a development that would threaten their grip on power and stymie their efforts to obtain more lethal types of weaponry.

And so the rhetoric in the Arab world is heating up, pointing to a real desire to see the US president go down in defeat.

Thanks, Alpha Patriot.

Ahhhnold!

He was a Man on Fire last night! Distinctly partisan and outlined the secular core values that will woo swing voters.

The Bush twins were duds though...

The Dems Pray for the Odometer Effect

Personal Analysis:

The dems are praying--I mean doing yoga hoping that enough soldiers die in Iraq so all the newspapers can put on their front page:

1000 DEAD!

Disgusting.

Main Stream Media: Crybabies

Instapundit points to a great article about the Media moaning:

I've been listening to mainstream-media types talk about the terrible threat posed to the news business by one new phenomenon or other since I began my career 22 years ago. The complaint is invariably, and drearily, the same: Whatever is new is bad because it supposedly lowers the historically high standards of the mainstream media.

The last two years in particular have seen the explosion of a new medium — the personal Internet newspaper, or blog — that has already and will forever change the way people get their information.

This is a thrilling development — unless you are a mainstream-media Big Fish.

The success of the Swift-boat vets' ads is the tale of the triumph of the nation's alternative media. The mainstreamers didn't want to touch the story with a 10-foot pole, and they didn't. But the alternative media did. Amateur reporters and fact-gatherers offered independent substantiation for some of the charges. It turned out the criticisms of the Swifties weren't quite so easily dismissed.

Because there was new information coming out every day, there was more and more to discuss on talk radio and cable news channels. And the story just wouldn't go away, because millions of people were interested in it.

Iatrogenic

Jonah Goldberg asks:

What do fat people, MoveOn.org and the Swift Boat Vets for Truth have in common? They are also the products of "iatrogenic government."

In medicine an iatrogenic condition or ailment is one that is caused by the physician, either deliberately or by accident. Give too much medicine, or the wrong kind, and the negative consequences are iatrogenic.

The late Sen. Pat Moynihan coined the phrase "iatrogenic government" to describe problems that were created by the intent to cure. What he had in mind was the tendency of the drug war to create more problems than it solves. But the same thing goes on all the time.

Read more.

Election Watch 2004

Hugh Hewitt points us to the Election Watch 2004 that's a great round-up of all things Bush-Kerry.

Is Simplicity Best or Simply the Easiest?

That's the first line of one of Depeche Mode's greatest songs, "Judas," off the album, Songs of Faith and Devotion.

Newsweek publishes a decently fair article outlining Bush's leadership style. The positives are found futher into the article (of course), but it's intelligently written and I think--in total--very fair.One thing is clear:

This is not a president who is inclined to second-guess himself. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice described Bush as the anchor of the White House team, a man who recognizes that big, strategic decisions will bring with them good times and bad times and who is not distracted by news coverage that can fluctuate by the day or even by the hour. "If you had a president who was doing that" — watching the polls and the daily headlines — "the country would be in a deep trouble," she said.

Unfunded Mandates

Jed at Boots & Sabers dug up an old 8th grade test; go to his site to check the answers...I'd love to have all the demonstrators in NYC take this test and see what the average score is. Tell me your score in the comments section.

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7-10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts. per bu, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $.20 per inch?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, and 1865?

Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final ‘e’. Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, super.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of N.A.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.

Health (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Where are the saliva, gastric juice, and bile secreted? What is the use of each in digestion?
2. How does nutrition reach the circulation?
3. What is the function of the liver? Of the kidneys?
4. How would you stop the flow of blood from an artery in the case of laceration?
5. Give some general directions that you think would be beneficial to preserve the human body in a state of health.

Kerry: Let Iran Have Yellow Cake!

A John F. Kerry administration would propose to Iran that the Islamic state be allowed to keep its nuclear power plants in exchange for giving up the right to retain the nuclear fuel that could be used for bomb-making, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards said in an interview yesterday. Read more.

UPDATE: Analysis from the folks at CrushKerry.com:

We are rapidly losing our ability to discuss John Kerry and his campaign for president with any measure of dispassion or objectivity. His latest harebrained scheme with regard to Iran's nuclear program is so cataclysmically stupid, so geopolitically naïve, so monumentally arrogant there are not words in all the known human languages – living or dead – to describe it. Not to put too fine a point on it, but John Kerry’s plan to confront Iran’s weapons program will lead to the nuclear destruction of Israel.

Articles on Protests

Here are three great articles on the protests:

Thousands March and Ask, "Where's John?"

More than 57 Varieties of Bush Hatred

The DNC Hits NYC

Supply & Demand

I think these toys were demanded from some islamo-fascist country, North Korea or Cuba--but accidently wound up in a grab bag of toys sent to the US.