Regarding Tuesday's Special Elections

Shortly after voting on Tuesday, I went out of town to visit family in Chicago (I'm still there)... I wasn't able to catch up on the results til this morning. While I am deeply disappointed in the results, I am far from surprised. As I have stated before, given the circumstances, this election (especially the senatorial election) would be anyone's to win. Voter turnout was especially light, so while the percentages were indeed in Tarryl Clark's favor, one could hardly consider this a mandate. Our local rag was doing its darndest to get liberals elected. In an unprecedented move, the rag actually reiterated its endorsement of Clark and Haws the day before election day, in effect giving them double the exposure than would otherwise have been the case.

Though this story would have you believe otherwise:

Clark bristles at beingdescribed as an abortion-rights supporter (Isn't it something how being called what you are when you are a liberal is always, shall we say, uncomfortable?), saying she seeks a third way in the abortion debate that reduces abortions while keeping them legal and safe. (Safe for whom, the aborted? Isn't this kind of like being "just a little pregnant"?)

But she went on therecord opposing abortion restrictions during the campaign, as well as opposing a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages and civil unions that the Senate will be pressured to vote on next year.

Both her opponents took the socially conservative position, yet she received 55 percent of Tuesday's vote.

"I think people want to focus on issues that impact their lives directly," said Scott Wells, co-chairman of the Senate District 15 DFL Party. "The issues that affect people's everyday lives are good jobs, good education and good health care, and that's what both (DFL) candidates talked about."

Republicans didn't do a good enough job of highlighting Clark's positions, said Roger Knauss, Senate District 15 Republican Party chairman.

"Her campaign was very effective at making her appear moderate on social issues and we did nothing to correct that misimpression," he said.

Clark's election may dispel the myth that candidates must oppose abortion rights to win in St. Cloud, but only more evidence from future elections will tell, Frank said.

"The reason abortion-rights supporters don't win in St. Cloud is because they don't run. They don't run because of the perception that the area is so anti-abortion," he said. "But this area, particularly St. Cloud, is not as conservative as most people think."

The writer of the article is again missing a vital point: This was a special election, with extremely light voter turnout. In his apparently pro-abortion zeal, and without considering the circumstances revolving around this special election, Larry Schumacher makes the mistake of trying to say that St. Cloud has moved ultra left.

Clark's election may dispel the myth that candidates must oppose abortion rights to win inSt. Cloud, but only more evidence from future elections will tell, Frank said.

"The reason abortion-rights supporters don't win in St. Cloud is because they don't run. They don't run because of the perception that the area is so anti-abortion," he said. "But this area, particularly St. Cloud, is not as conservative as most people think."

It is my fervent hope that the local and state DFL also take heart and follow suit, and actually let the voters see the flaming liberals that they really are. This could actually bode very well for the republican side come this November. Come on, DFL--bring it on. Run on what you really believe. Probably not only the best thing you can do to help Republicans, but probably the greatest favor that you could ever hope to do for this nation.

Consider it a patriotic move on your part.



(Filed under Elections)

Time to VOTE!!

If you live in Senate District 15 or Representative district 15b, the special elections are today. For myself, living in Senate District 15 (but not in 15b) the choice will be simple. (see the banner at the top of this blog). Dan the "Ox" Ochsner will do Senate District 15 proud. He is a common sense candidate, will have a great grasp of the issues going in. As the host of "Hot Talk with the Ox," far from just falling off the turnip truck, Ochsner has been doing his homework, researching issues and interviewing the movers and shakers that make the state work. He's been highly involved in civic volunteering, including being president of the St. Cloud Downtown Sertoma Club; Chairman of the St. Cloud Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board; Board Member of the Central Division of Minnesota March of Dimes, United Way Corporate Campaign Coordinator, and a St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce Volunteer. And unlike his opponent, Ochsner operates firmly from a conservative philosophy, and is very strong in his views for less government, holding the line on and decreasing taxes, and in being pro-life (his opponent is pretty much for abortion on demand). Also, Ochsner supports bringing forth a measure that will pretty much put an end to needless special sessions. Ochsner's measure would bring economic penalties upon house members should their lollygagging go past the Constitutional deadline.

Make no mistake--what you will get with Tarryl Clark will be the radical element that has taken over the purse strings and the direction of the democrat party; which has on a national level openly spoken for abortion on demand (an an area of personal agreement that Clark doesn't go out of her way to broadcast--I wonder why???); more government, and a not so-subtle "strategy" that makes defeat in Iraq an actual goal.

Make it a point today to vote Ochsner for Minnesota Senate District 15.

:::TOPIC BUMPED:::

(Filed under Elections)

I'm off

I'll be off to vote now, run some errands, and then I'll be on my way to Chicago to visit my father for a couple of days.

I may or may not be able to engage in some blogging... we'll see.

In the meantime, have a blessed continuation of this holiday season!


(Filed under Housekeeping)

A member of the democrat "farm club"?

From here:

(WCCO) Minneapolis Police are looking for a driver who apparently crashed an SUV on Christmas Day and fled the scene, leaving a pregnant passenger behind with critical injuries.

The woman and her unborn child later died, police said.

To my way of thinking, the democrats could have a future senator in the making. Now if we can just get the guy to Massachussetts and have him change his last name.. Gotta work on that one.


(Filed under limousine liberals)

Those crazy cheeseheads..

From here:

NEILLSVILLE, Wis. (AP) - A 64-year-old man has pleaded no contest to charges in Clark County Circuit Court after telling police he regularly had been using calves for sexual gratification. (He also apparently asked, "Doesn't everybody?")

Harold G. Hart was placed on two years probation Thursday and ordered to have psychological counseling and an alcohol and drug abuse assessment after pleading to charges of sexual gratification with an animal and disorderly conduct.

According to the criminal complaint, the family living on the farm Hart visited, installed a motion sensor because they had seen suspicious footprints and vehicle tracks. (not to mention bottles of Dom Perignon and empty boxes of chocolates next to the cattle stanchions)

When the sensor sounded, Hart was caught leaving the barn. He later told police the farm was a routine stop, usually after bar closing or on trips to strip clubs near Marshfield or Neillsville. (Well.. having been to such a bar in that area in my early, "wild days" (actually, in Wisconsin Rapids), and judging by their "stars", I would venture to say that there was probably very little difference)

Hart told police he had gone to the farm at least 50 times in the last year, sometimes two to four times in a week. (rumor had it that the cattle were overheard to exclaim, "Not tonight.. I've got a headache!")

Too bad old Harold didn't live in Canada. I'm sure that his entourage would be most welcome there...

(Filed under Fun Stuff)

A blessed Christmas to all!!

A beautiful Christmas story

Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin. The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl.

"Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling. "You friend? Your sister?"

"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said sadly.

Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly.

Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted.

"What is it?" Santa asked warmly.

"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but ." the old woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors. "The girl in the photograph... My granddaughter well, you see ... She has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the holidays," she said through tear-filled eyes. "Is there any way, Santa .. Any possible way that you could come see Sarah? That's all she's asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."

Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see what he could do.

Santa thought of little else the rest of that afternoon. He knew what he had to do. "What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed, dying," he thought with a sinking heart, "this is the least I can do."

When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that evening, he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was staying. He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's Hospital.

"Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier that day.

"C'mon.... I'll take you there," Rick said softly.

Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa They found out which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick said he would wait out in the hall. Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and saw little Sarah on the bed. The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the Grandmother and the girl's brother he had met earlier that day A woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead. And another woman who he discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair near the bed with weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly, and Santa could sense the warmth and closeness of the family, and their love and concern for Sarah. Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered the room, bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!"
"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed to run to him, IV tubes in tact.
Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug. A child the tender age of his own son -- 9 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder and excitement. Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and he had to force himself to choke back tears. Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the room. As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or his hand gratefully,
Whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at him with shining eyes.

Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good girl that year. As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl's mother. She nodded in agreement and the entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding hands. Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in angels.

"Oh, yes, Santa... I do!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you, "he said. Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed. He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this disease. He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And when he finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing softly, "Silent Night, Holy Night.... all is calm, all is bright." The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at them all. When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again and held Sarah's frail, small hands in his own.

"Now, Sarah, "he said authoritatively, "you have a job to do, and that is to concentrate on getting well. I want you to have fun playing with your friends this summer, and I expect to see you at my house at Mayfair Mall this time next year!" He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little girl who had terminal cancer, but he "had" to. He had to give her the greatest gift he could -- not dolls or games or toys -- but the gift of HOPE.

"Yes, Santa! "Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left the room. Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a look passed between them and they wept unashamed. Sarah's mother and grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and rushed to Santa's side to thank him.

"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly. "This is the least I could do." They nodded with understanding and hugged him.

One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set in Milwaukee for his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks went by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap.

"Hi, Santa! Remember me?!"

"Of course, I do," Santa proclaimed (as he always does), smiling down at her. After all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always make each child feel as if they are the "only" child in the world at that moment.

"You came to see me in the hospital last year!"

Santa's jaw dropped. Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he grabbed this little miracle and held her to his chest. "Sarah!" he exclaimed. He scarcely recognized her,for her hair was long and silky and her cheeks were rosy -- much different from the little girl he had visited just a year before. He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and grandmother in the sidelines smiling and waving and wiping their eyes.

That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus. He had witnessed -- and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing about -- this miracle of hope. This precious little child was healed. Cancer-free. Alive and well. He silently looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered, "Thank you, Father. 'Tis a very, Merry Christmas!"

Et tu, Colin?

From here:

Colin Powell on spying program:

“My own judgment is that — it didn’t seem to me, anyway, that it would have been that hard to go and get the warrants [through FISA]. And even in the case of an emergency, you go and do it [begin surveillance]. The law provides for that. And three days later, you let the court know what you have done, and deal with it that way.” From an interview with George Stephanopoulos featured on ABC’s “Nightline.” December 21, 2005

Even more telling were the comments under that post, and they types of folks that are praising Powell's "growing a spine." Colin Powell as politician was never about growing a spine. Colin Powell as politician is a RINO. Nothing more, nothing less.

Everybody keeps on ignoring the point that this whole issue is NOTHING NEW, and has been practiced in one form or another by every administration since FDR.

(Filed under RINOS)

Folks, the Kettle's feeling mighty empty...

As you can tell by the top left column of this blog, I'm collecting so that the Salvation Army can keep on doing its great work.

Revenues are way down this season for the Salvation Army; partly because of "giving fatigue" resultant of two major back-to-back hurricanes; and partly because their kettles have been banned from what were former places of revenue.

As I have stated before, the percentage of proceeds that actually goes to the people they purport to help is nothing less than phenomenal. They are the real article. Currently, I have a goal of $100 for my "kettle", and there's $53.00 so far toward that goal (a hem... err... $53.00 of my own money). If you can see your way clear to do so, please click on the kettle and donate, even if it's only a few bucks. A few bucks from a lot of people can go a long way toward helping those in need. And if per chance you get to pass a kettle during your Christmas rush, please take time to make a donation. Most of the Salvation Army's yearly proceeds to meet local operating expenses actually come from the kettle drive.

Thanks for reading. And, for donating!

(topic bumped)

***UPDATE****

Thanks to Jon, The Night Writer, for his generous donation!!

(Filed under Good works)

Just in case you haven't been keeping up with what the practitioners of the "religion of Peace" have been up to...

From here:

LONDON (Reuters) - British police charged a student on Thursday in connection with the failed bomb attacks in London on July 21, a spokesman said.

Adel Yahya, 23, of north London, will appear in court in central London on Friday charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion "likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property", London police said.

Admittedly, this story does not specify this guy's religion. But with a name like Adel Yahya, one could probably say with some degree of certainty that he hasn't spent any time serving up bouja at the local Catholic church.

Just gotta keep in mind who we're fighting against here, folks...




(Filed under Religion of Peace?)

On the proper etiquette for eating fish bait..

The Captain at Barking Moonbat Early Warning System directs us to this link on the proper way to eat sushi. Just don't spit it out (from laughter) as you watch it, okay? Either that or cover your keyboard and monitor with Saran wrap before you do. But, when in Rome...


(Filed under Fun Stuff)

Gawwwd I love these guys

In a Brokeback Mountain moment, let me say that these characters are the funniest guys in the blogosphere. Really.

Not that these guys are slouches, mind you.


(Filed under Great Blogs)

In the "Do as we say!" department...

It appears that our friends at the Congressional Black Caucus may have some splainin' to do:

U.S. Rep. Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), also present at the Congressional Black Caucus' Sept. 2 news conference, declared that she was "ashamed of America."

"I'm ashamed of our government. We don't want another Iraq, where the money just goes off somewhere. This is real human need. And I'm outraged by the lack of response from our federal government," Kilpatrick said

The CBCF then launched its own relief fund on Sept. 21, with a stated goal of raising $1 million to help Gulf Coast residents rebuild their lives. As Cybercast News Service previously reported, the CBCF claimed immediate success, telling reporters on Sept. 21 that it had already received $700,000 in corporate pledges.

But on Wednesday, exactly three months after the news conference launching the CBCF relief fund, Rice told Cybercast News Service that the Foundation has actually raised "somewhere in the neighborhood of $350 to $400,000." She added that the distribution of the money would not begin until January or February of 2006 at the earliest.

Ken Boehm, chairman of the conservative National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), a group that monitors charitable giving, was quick to criticize the CBCF.

"It sounds like the CBCF has been stressing the immediacy of the [victims'] needs when they raised the money and yet for some reason when it comes time to dishing it out they can't seem to get organized," Boehm told Cybercast News Service.

"The need is immediate and ongoing as they themselves have cited. For whatever reasons they have failed to give away a single cent as of the week before Christmas," Boehm said. "It appears that the CBCF has failed to meet the standard that it set up itself for: timely aid to Katrina victims."

So it took a week or so before a national relief effort got underway. Kweesi Infume and his ilk get all bent out of shape, saying that it took too long to get the relief effort underway. Kweesi Infume & his ilk get a fundraising campaign going, at first saying that they received $700 grand in contributions, but now it's only 300-400 grand (what happened to the other 300-350k??), which they're still sitting on, three months after the disaster.

Ohhhh pot? Kettle here.

(Filed under Moonbat Adventures, Limousine Liberals)

Democrats--your talking points are still working..

From here:

By Mussab al-Khairalla and Gideon Long

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein accused the White House on Thursday of lying, citing its prewar assertions that Iraq had chemical weapons and its denial of his statement that he had been tortured in American custody.

Speaking at the start of the seventh session of his trial on charges of crimes against humanity, the former president rekindled his battle of words with Washington.

"The White House are liars. They said Iraq had chemical weapons," he told the court.

"They lied again when they said that what Saddam said was wrong," he added, referring to a White House dismissal of his claim during Wednesday's hearing that he was tortured.

Good job, Nancy Pelosi, Swimmer, et. al.,.

Your rhetoric is certainly paying dividends, isn't it?



(Filed under Iraq, The Fifth Column)

Nothing new under the sun though the dems & RINOs would have you believe it...

From the Washington Times:

Previous administrations, as well as the court that oversees national security cases, agreed with President Bush's position that a president legally may authorize searches without warrants in pursuit of foreign intelligence.

"The Department of Justice believes -- and the case law supports -- that the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes and that the president may, as he has done, delegate this authority to the attorney general," Clinton Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick said in 1994 testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

But yet the dems & willing ignoramous RINO accomplices (can you say Olympia Snowe and Chuck Hagel?) would lead one to believe that this is unprecedented, and that the evil Bush and Karl Rove cabal is somehow the first to pull the puppet strings in this nefarious practice.

Like I have stated before, this whole issue is nothing more than another lame move by a political party, bankrupt of ideas, that can only hope to gain political advantage by manufacturing a parade of non-scandal "scandals"; hoping against hope that one will gain traction. But like an assembly line of cars with cheap Earl Scheib paint jobs, or a like a fashion show featuring $25-dollar hookers in see-through negligees, the flaws inherent in each of these lame attempts are more than apparent to anyone but the most casual observer or the most partisan of hacks.

Again. Nice try. No cigar.


(Filed under The Fifth Column, RINOs)

Move over, Victor... life imitates art..

From here:

By CAROLYN ABRAHAM

Monday, December 19, 2005 Posted at 2:49 AM EST

Globe and Mail Update

Work on the world's first human-made species is well under way at a research complex in Rockville, Md., and scientists in Canada have been quietly conducting experiments to help bring such a creature to life.

Robert Holt, head of sequencing for the Genome Science Centre at the University of British Columbia, is leading efforts at his Vancouver lab to play a key role in the production of the first synthetic life form -- a microbe made from scratch.

The project is being spearheaded by U.S. scientist Craig Venter, who gained fame in his former job as head of Celera Genomics, which completed a privately-owned map of the human genome in 2000.

Dr. Venter, 59, has since shifted his focus from determining the chemical sequences that encode life to trying to design and build it: "We're going from reading to writing the genetic code," he said in an interview.

To paraphrase Jeff Goldblum's character in the movie, Jurassic Park, "They do these things because they can, without giving one thought as to whether they should." The great danger to mankind posed by science in denial of a Creator, is that in the absence of God, man himself steps in to try to fill the void--a fool's errand that can only serve to end with tragic results, given man's notoriously poor record of our performance in that role. Mary Shelley had the foresight to write about this nearly two centuries ago. It's too bad that the sage lessons of the past, even those found in what could be considered fanciful literature, are too often lost on those living in the present.

Science fiction nearly inevitably has the habit of becoming science fact; sometimes with the unfortunate side effect of being fraught with consequences amounting to much more than we bargained for.

I'm afraid that this is one of those times.

Would you like some whine with your Koffi?

From here:

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Terrorism and conflicts across the Middle East will be major global issues in 2006, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said at a year-end news conference on Wednesday and he also lashed out at the media for its coverage of the oil-for-food program.

Annan said he faced getting tough management reform proposals through the U.N. General Assembly and trying to solve the ongoing conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

But he said he expected terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and the Middle East -- the slayings in Lebanon, the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict and the turmoil in Iraq -- to be "a major issue for us."

The usually unruffled U.N. chief castigated what he called unfair media coverage of his role and that of his son's in the now-defunct U.N. oil-for-food humanitarian program in Iraq.

He scolded James Bone of the Times of London for saying, "Your own version of events don't really make sense."

Annan responded: "I think you're being very cheeky. Listen James Bone, you've been behaving like an overgrown schoolboy in this room for many, many months and years. You are an embarrassment to your colleagues and to your profession. Please stop misbehaving and please let's move on to a serious subject."

Can you say arrogant? This bozo is treating himself like some kind of royalty, thinking that he is above scrutiny for his vile misdeeds as the most corrupt U.N. secretary since its inception. Where's John Bolton when you need him to take this bozo down a few notches.

Screw the U.N. Either fix it or throw it out of the U.S. on its collective ear. 'Nuff said.

(Filed under World Affairs)

On the Future of Conservatism

There's a great site worth taking note of. The Primary Source is a publication put out by a conservative group of students at Tufts University in what would probably be a hotbed of liberalism, Boston Mass.,.

Reading some of the articles there, I am heartened that the torch of conservatism will indeed be passed into good hands.

Great reads--worth the look.

I'll have a direct link posted under "my favorites" (down the left column of this blog) entitled, "The Future of Conservatism".


(Filed under Great Blogs)

Regarding the "Mother Ek" kerfuffle

This from the Grand Forks Herald:

Kay Ek, 71, was gearing up her campaign on Tuesday after the state Supreme Court on Monday ordered her daughter Sue removed from the ballot, determining she hadn't established official residency in the district. The special election will be held next Tuesday.

"This election should be about the voters having a choice. … This is Stearns County, Sherburne County, not the Soviet Union," state GOP Chairman Ron Carey told reporters after he attempted to file papers for Kay Ek's candidacy.

But Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer couldn't accept the filing. An opinion she requested from Attorney General Mike Hatch's office Tuesday said state law only allows a replacement if the original candidate dies or withdraws from the race — not if removed by court order.

"Because removal of the name of Susanne Ek did not arise out of death, catastrophic illness or withdrawal of candidacy, there is no procedure set forth in Minnesota law for replacing Ms. Ek on the ballot," Chief Deputy Kristine Eiden wrote in a letter to Kiffmeyer.

The court's decision leaves just one candidate on the ballot — Stearns County Commissioner Larry Haws, the DFL's endorsed candidate. The election was prompted by the resignation of DFL Rep. Joe Opatz.

Kiffmeyer told county elections officials to start printing ballots without a GOP candidate.

Meanwhile, the state Republican Party strongly condemned the opinion from Hatch's office. In an e-mailed statement, Carey said the GOP will back Kay Ek's write-in campaign.

"Mike Hatch has attempted to deny the voters of House District 15B a choice," the statement said.

While I won't doubt for a minute that Mike Hatch isn't losing any sleep, and while I'd even venture to guess that Hatch has a smirk on his face regarding this kerfuffle, I don't think that Hatch purposefully left Kay Ek's name off of the ballot. The rules were indeed clear, and if anyone is to blame it is Sue Ek and her handlers for not dropping out earlier (or even running in the first place). While it is clearly Carey's job to play the attack dog and to spin the situation, he does no one any favors by passing the buck, and in the process he ignores the blatant incompetence on the different levels that led to this situation. This fiasco no doubt leaves a black eye on the Party. But black eyes, given time, do heal. Lessons will be learned, and things will be done better in the future. But for now, let's not ignore the problem or pretend that it never existed; lest it be repeated. One black eye in a decade is quite enough, thank you.


(Filed under Elections)

Yet another enemy taking a cue from the democrat party...

From here:

By MARIAM FAM
Associated Press Writer
Dec 21 11:25 AM US/Eastern

BAGHDAD, Iraq - After several hours of quietly listening to testimony, Saddam Hussein launched into an extended rant at his trial Wednesday, alleging that he had been beaten "everywhere on my body" while in detention.

The trial's chief prosecutor said that if American-led multinational forces were abusing the former Iraqi leader, he would be transferred into the custody of Iraqi troops.

"Yes I have been beaten, everywhere on my body. The marks are still there," Saddam told the court, without saying who had allegedly beaten him. "And I'm not complaining about the Americans because I can poke their eyes with my own hands."

Now look for Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Olympia Snowe to use this as cover to rush to Saddam's defense, claiming that Bush authorized torture against Hussein.

It would be laughable, if it wasn't at once so sad.

(Filed under Iraq, The Fifth Column)

Democrat suicide watch still on...

First, good news about the Iraq elections, now this:

The U.S. economy turned in a remarkably strong performance in the summer despite surging energy prices and the battering the Gulf Coast states took from hurricanes, although business growth was slightly lower than the government previously estimated. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that the gross domestic product, the nation's total output of goods and services, rose at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the July-September quarter. It was the fastest pace of growth in 1 1/2 years.

While down slightly from the 4.3 percent GDP estimate made a month ago, the new figure demonstrated that the economy kept expanding at a strong pace during the summer, led by solid increases in consumer demand, especially for autos, and business investment. The third quarter performance was up substantially from a 3.3 percent GDP growth rate in the April-June quarter and was the best showing since the economy expanded at a 4.3 percent rate in the first three months of 2004.

Poor, poor democrats.

As I have always said, when you set yourself up to gain only when failure occurs, and prepare yourself to wallow in others' misery, be prepared to fail. Miserably.

As for myself, keeping in mind the inevitable crashing of the democrat leadership over this seemingly unstoppable tide of good news, I think I'll be buying stock in Pfizer. Their customer base will no doubt be increasing exponentially.


(Filed under Moonbat Adventures)

Yet, there is cause for hope...

From here

A U.S. appeals court today upheld the decision of a lower court in allowing the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse display, hammering the American Civil Liberties Union and declaring, "The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."

Attorneys from the American Center for Law and Justice successfully argued the case on behalf of Mercer County, Ky., and a display of historical documents placed in the county courthouse. The panel voted 3-0 to reject the ACLU's contention the display violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

The county display the ACLU sued over included the Ten Commandments, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta, the Star Spangled Banner, the national motto, the preamble to the Kentucky Constitution, the Bill of Rights to the U. S. Constitution and a picture of Lady Justice.

Writing for the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Richard Suhrheinrich said the ACLU's "repeated reference 'to the separation of church and state' ... has grown tiresome. The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one growing tiresome of the ACLU's meddling in societal affairs. It's a shame that there are other Courts who continue to display an insane intolerance of the acknowledgment of the role that religion has played in the building of our nation.

(Filed under Secular Taliban)

Yet another story to help you sleep at night...

From here:

LONDON (Reuters) - An Iranian exile group on Tuesday called on the U.N.'s atomic watchdog to inspect an extensive network of tunnels which it says the Islamic Republic has built to conceal a clandestine nuclear weapons programme.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, which first made allegations of the tunnels in September, said their sources in Iran had evidence of underground complexes in 14 locations, near Tehran, Isfahan, Qom and other cities.

"These have been built by military agencies and their front companies," said Hossein Abedini, a member of the foreign affairs committee of the NCRI at a news conference.

"The purpose of the tunnels is to conceal parts of the Tehran regime's atomic and missile programmes," he said, adding they were used for hiding research centres, workshops, nuclear equipment and nuclear and missile command and control centres.

Sleep well, dear readers.

A hopeful ending to this story is that Israel makes good on its promises. God knows that our politicos don't have the stomach for it.

***UPDATE***

Oh... I forgot to add another chapter to this bedtime story:

Report: Syria agrees to hide Iran nukes

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, December 20, 2005

LONDON — Syria has signed a pledge to store Iranian nuclear weapons and missiles.

The London-based Jane's Defence Weekly reported that Iran and Syria signed a strategic accord meant to protect either country from international pressure regarding their weapons programs. The magazine, citing diplomatic sources, said Syria agreed to store Iranian materials and weapons should Teheran come under United Nations sanctions.

Iran also pledged to grant haven to any Syrian intelligence officer indicted by the UN or Lebanon. Five Syrian officers have been questioned by the UN regarding the Hariri assassination, Middle East Newsline reported.

"The sensitive chapter in the accord includes Syria's commitment to allow Iran to safely store weapons, sensitive equipment or even hazardous materials on Syrian soil should Iran need such help in a time of crisis," Jane's said.

Good night, all.

(Filed under Religion of Peace?, World Affairs)

Why I don't trust polls...

From CNN:

Poll: Iraq speeches, election don't help Bush

Tuesday, December 20, 2005; Posted: 12:56 a.m. EST (05:56 GMT)

CNN -- President Bush's approval ratings do not appear to have changed significantly, despite a number of recent speeches he's given to shore up public support for the war in Iraq and its historic elections on Thursday.

A CNN/USA Today Gallup poll conducted over the weekend found his approval rating stood at 41 percent, while more than half, or 56 percent, disapprove of how the president is handling his job. A majority, or 52 percent, say it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq, and 61 percent say they disapprove of how he is handling Iraq specifically. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The poll interviews were conducted before President Bush's Oval Office address, which was broadcast on primetime television Sunday.

And now from ABC:

Poll: Bush's Approval Ratings Climb

Dec. 19, 2005 — The recent elections in Iraq and an improved economic outlook at home have shifted public support in the president's direction, lifting him from career lows in his job performance and personal ratings alike.

The president still faces significant challenges, including majority disapproval of his overall performance, substantial skepticism about the war and roughly 50-50 ratings on his personal honesty and his handling of ethics. Still, each has moved his way.

Sampling, data collection and tabulation for this poll were done by TNS.

Overall, 47 percent of Americans in this ABC News/Washington Post poll now approve of George W. Bush's work in office; 52 percent disapprove. While hardly robust, that is up from a career low 39 percent-60 percent in early November to its best in nearly six months.

Two different polls, taken at the same time, two vastly different results that would be considered outside the margin for error.

Interesting fact regarding the CNN poll above:

The poll interviews were conducted before President Bush's Oval Office address, which was broadcast on primetime television Sunday.

Read that sentence, then look at CNN's headline. Notice any disconnect? Now there wouldn't be any agenda behind that story, would there?

(Filed under The Fifth Column)

In an interesting turn of events--Sue Ek's Mother announces candidacy

Around 45 minutes ago on Hot Talk without the Ox, Sue Ek's mother, Kay Ek announced her candidacy for the Minnesota House of Representatives District 15b seat being vacated by Joe Opatz. As you know, Ek was tossed out of the race by the Minnesota Supreme Court yesterday. Kay Ek has held a number of leadership positions in the Pro-Life movement, and is currently a member of the advisory committee on the U.S. Council of Bishops.

More to come as details unfold.


***UPDATE***

The only information I could muster regarding Kay Ek (other than a Hindu site here), is her recollections of meeting the Pope here. Kay is reportedly one of the founders of the Natural Family Planning movement in the Catholic Church.

Kay will no doubt have pro-life interests, as well as the "defense of marriage" Amendment as her main concerns. As these are both state's-rights issues, they are, IMO, legitimate concerns at the state legislative level.

Kay is now officially the Republican endorsed candidate for House District 15b. KNSI News Reports:

Kay says she’s hoping to get her name on the ballot, but if she can’t then she’ll run a write-in campaign. Kay says she has the same beliefs and vaules as Sue, saying she is pro-life and a fiscal conservative. Kay is the former Program Director for Natural Family planning for the Catholic Diocese in St. Cloud.

...State Republican Chairman Ron Carey will hold a nine a-m news conference outside the secretary of state's office to formally announce the new House candidate.

Despite the fact that I agree with her pro-life stance, I see Ek as no more than a token nominee to avoid Larry Haws running unopposed. Even if she were to get on the ballot, I would give Mrs. Ek much the same chance of winning as would her daughter (something about a snowball and a hot place comes to mind). Haws is just too popular.

(Filed under Elections)

Now what???

Well.. it's official. Sue Ek has been officially drummed out of the Minnesota Representative District 15B race:

Court Removes St. Cloud Candidate From House Race

(AP) St. Paul A week before a special House election in St. Cloud, Minnesota's highest court on Monday removed the Republican candidate from the ballot as questions were raised about where she lived.

Sue Ek, who runs a natural family planning organization, was ensnared by an affidavit she signed July 9 stating she lived in a St. Paul house owned by her parents. That was about two weeks too late to meet a constitutional requirement that candidates live in a district -- in this case, St. Cloud -- for at least six months before an election.

So now what? Will the Courts step in and allow extra time to file like they did when Torricelli resigned?

Sue Ek should have set aside her ambitions and 1. Not have run at all until her residency was firmly established; and/or 2. dropped out of the race early on as soon as this situation saw the light of day. Now here we are, only a week until the elections, and we have no candidate.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Larry Haws gets elected (a probability even if Ek was allowed to remain in the race) does that mean an even Minnesota House? as far as I can tell the current tally is a 68-66 majority in favor of the Republicans.

Regardless, the Republicans (I count myself among them) have a lot of work to do to either regain or maintain control in the November, 2006 elections.

(Filed under Elections)

An interesting blog..

I had erased what I thought was a spam-type shameless promotion on the comments of a couple of my posts, and it was.

The problem is, I actually went to the blog, and liked it. Very funny pics..

Check out It's All George Bush's Fault.




(Filed under Great Blogs)

Pot, Meet Kettle Part one thousand

As anyone who hasn't been living under a rock knows by now, the Demoricans (democrats in Congress and their lapdog RINOs) have been having a collective public coniption fit over President Bush's practice of spying on international communications with U.S. citizens with suspected Al Qaeda ties. But as is the case so often with our demo-buddies, they operate on short memories, and hope that the public is likewise memorically challenged. The lengths and depths that these clowns will go to undermine this nation's war effort, with assistance from their MSM lapdogs, is nothing short of breathtaking. Thus far, I could find nothing in the MSM of the inconvenient fact that Clinton did the same exact thing:

Clinton NSA Eavesdropped on U.S. Calls

During the 1990's under President Clinton, the National Security Agency monitored millions of private phone calls placed by U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries under a super secret program code-named Echelon.

On Friday, the New York Times suggested that the Bush administration has instituted "a major shift in American intelligence-gathering practices" when it "secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without [obtaining] court-approved warrants."

But in fact, the NSA had been monitoring private domestic telephone conversations on a much larger scale throughout the 1990s - all of it done without a court order, let alone a catalyst like the 9/11 attacks.

In February 2000, for instance, CBS "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft introduced a report on the Clinton-era spy program by noting:

"If you made a phone call today or sent an e-mail to a friend, there's a good chance what you said or wrote was captured and screened by the country's largest intelligence agency. The top-secret Global Surveillance Network is called Echelon, and it's run by the National Security Agency."

NSA computers, said Kroft, "capture virtually every electronic conversation around the world."

But of course, just like with any other "scandal" that never was, until the unfortunate truth finally makes its rounds through the MSM, the Demoricans will continue to try to make hay while their sun shines. For to them, everything is a political football; nothing is sacred. National security be damned.

I have, at times, likened the Demoricans to Axis Sally or Tokyo Rose during World War II, who did their level best at the time to demoralize our troops and their mission. I realize now, however, that this was an unfair comparison. For all the damage that they did during that time, unlike today's Demoricans, Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally were unable to vote in Congress. Their damage was, in retrospect, negligible in light of our current elected officials who see the fact that we are at war, and that our troops remain in harm's way, as an opportunity for political advantage, without regard to the consequences of gaining that political advantage.

They are beyond shameless. They are traitors (Hugh may be afraid to say it, but I'm not) in every sense of the word. With the Demoricans in Congress and the Senate, who needs a Fifth Column?


(Filed under The Fifth Column, RINOs)

A message from Afghanistan

This message came to me from a good friend of mine (we've known each other since grade school), who was about to embark on his third tour of duty to Iraq, but was instead assigned at the last minute to help train the Afghani police force:

Hi ALL,

I arrived in Kabul a few days ago. All is well. The trip here was long but uneventful. The weather here is somewhat better then your having in Chicago though. 50's in the day but chilly at night. Winter, I'm assured is on the way.

Got right to work. Yesterday I met with the Chief of Education for the Afghan National Police, a Major General, pretty formal kind of thing with all the traditional Islamic courtesies and diplomacy. That'll take me some getting used to...me...diplomacy. Also met with General Director for the Education Ministry for Afghanistan...all introductory kind of stuff. She's a woman. A big deal for this culture. I'm not sure but I think I saw her on TV once.

My accommodations here don't compare to Iraq and definitely not to home. This country is definitely the land time forgot. These people have nothing, and I mean nothing. Outside the city is a moonscape, all mined since the Russian occupation. Most of what I've seen so far makes Mosul look like a world class city. These people have a long way to go just to enter the 19th century, much less the 20th. As far as I can tell they want the help too. But you can never tell what goes on behind their smiles at you. This ones gonna be a real education for me.

I don't have all email addresses to catch everyone. If some didn't get this give them my regards please or pass this on to them. If they email me I can add their address to this data base.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Hal

Godspeed, Hal.


(Filed under Heroes)

A droplet of common sense...in a sea of insanity?

From here:

House Opens Way for Oil Drilling in Arctic
Dec 19, 7:35 AM (ET) (AP) Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., right, meets with House Budget Committee Chairman Jim... Full Image WASHINGTON (AP) - House lawmakers opened the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as one of their last acts of an all-night session Monday bringing their legislative year to a close.

The House also narrowly passed a plan to cut deficits by almost $40 billion over five years in legislation hailed by GOP conservatives as a sign their party was returning to fiscal discipline and assailed by Democrats as victimizing medical and education programs that help the poor.

The ANWR provision was attached to a major defense bill, forcing many opponents of oil and gas exploration in the barren northern Alaska range to vote for it. The bill, passed 308-106, also included money for hurricane relief and bird flu preventive measures. (emphases mine)

One of those "opponents" of oil and gas exploration on that barren northern Alaska range was none other than our very own Mark Kennedy, who no doubt found himself on the outs with many of the party faithful with his seemingly senseless opposition to domestic oil exploration.

This vote, however, may have actually given Mark Kennedy much-needed cover; giving him a slice of cake while at the same time an opportunity to eat it. On a morning newscast, I heard a Kennedy soundbite in which he stated something to the effect that it would have been irresponsible to vote against the bill, given that it was a major defense bill, which contained funding for major military projects. Unfortunately, along with major military projects and ANWR drilling (which could also be definitely argued to be a national security issue during a time of war); there was the inevitable pork attached:

A $453 billion defense spending bill became the flypaper for issues that have eluded congressional compromise. Those included, along with the ANWR provision, $29 billion in federal aid for victims of Katrina and other storms; an additional $2 billion to help low-income families with home heating costs; and $3.8 billion to prepare for a possible bird flu pandemic.

And perhaps the most interesting fact regarding this $453 Billion dollar "defense spending bill":

Of the defense money (Again, 453 billion dollars) 50 billion is for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (emphases mine).

Like I said. A droplet of common sense; in a sea of insanity.



(Filed under RINOS, Energy Madness, Enviro-Whackism).

On hobbing knobs...

I went to the Christmas blogger bash at Keegan's yesterday, and I can say that I had a great time!


Highlights of the night included seeing old friends like King, Jon (The Night Writer), Doug, Mitch, Kevin, St. Paul and Chad the Elder, Learned Foot, Craig Westover, and Cathy; but a real treat was meeting some friends whom I have been keeping in touch with, but never met in person. Those are bloggers extraordinaire Jeff from Peace Like A River, Uncle Ben from Hammerswing75, and Surly Dave. They were every bit the great, personable guys I expected them to be, and I look forward to hanging out with them again in the near future. (BTW, gals, Hammerswing75 is a great looking guy--and he's extremely eligible!). Another highlight of the night was meeting two giants in the field: John Hinderaker (one of the guys who exposed Dan Rather) and James Lileks (a furiously funny guy and a Friday night regular on the Hugh Hewitt show). I also got a chance to talk with Triple-A from Residual Forces, along with the wonderfully creative "Chief" from Freedom Dogs along with Marty and Tony from KNSI's Sunday afternoon program Race to the Right. I also met David Strom who, word has it, will be getting a gig on the new talk station coming into Minneapolis in early January '06. David promised to mail me some sweet cigars if I emailed him my address.. Gads... and now I can't remember his email!! :::sigh:::

Living in St. Cloud, I don't get a chance to get to many MOB gatherings, but the more and more I attend the more and more I find that I'm fitting in (don't know if that's a good sign or not). Regardless, I had a GREAT time and I'm looking forward to many more with that fabulous group of people known as the Minnesota Organization of Bloggers.


(Filed under Fun with da MOB)

Well.. I'm off..

As soon as I can find a place that will replace the serpentine belt on my Tracker, I'll be off to Keegan's to hobnob with other members of the Minnesota pajamajadeen, otherwise known as the Minnesota Organization of Bloggers.

See you in a few hours.

Has Peace Like a River gone the way of Eckernet??

Peace Like a River, a war blog run by Jeff Jakouba that is, in my opinion, without peer in the blogosphere, is suddenly nowhere to be found.

There is an absolute wealth of information regarding the Iraq war, and a lot of great writing on that site. I just hope that he didn't lose all his posts like Kevin at Eckernet. Jeff--you still there?!?

A MOB affair

I'll be attending the MOB Christmas get together at Keegan's Irish Pub tomorrow (12/17) afternoon around five-ish.

Hope to see a lot of my fellow blogging MOBsters there. I'll bring the cement overshoes. Or be in cement overshoes. One of the two.



(Filed under Fun with da MOB)

Chad the Elder has a good point...

...regarding if today's Iraqis are better off than they were under Saddam Hussein:

Freedom is messy, complicated, unruly, loud, and sometimes chaotic, violent, and dangerous. Tyranny is often organized, simple, orderly, quiet, and safe (at least for those who keep their head in the yoke). There isn't a lot of complaining, protesting, or political bickering. The leaders don't have to concern themselves with approval ratings. The prisons, torture chambers, and mass graves are kept out of sight. The courts run smoothly and efficiently (The People's Revolutionary Court finds you guilty. Next!). The government statistics on unemployment, child care, women's rights, infant mortality, literacy, poverty, housing, and universal health care make the Noam Chomsky crowd drool with envy.

But without freedom, none of it means a damn. I would choose dangerous freedom over safe tyranny any day. And most of the Iraqi people appear to feel the same way.

I don't think I've ever seen it stated better.

(Filed under Great Blogs)

On bozos with short memories...

The U.S. Senate today effectively placed the pall on extending the Patriot Act:

As Congress raced toward adjournment, the bill's Senate supporters were not able to garner the 60 votes necessary to overcome a threatened filibuster by Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and other lawmakers who opposed the provisions. The final vote was 52-47.

By the actions of the Senate, one would truly think that our nation is not now nor was ever at war. Hell, there are some in the Senate who wouldn't know victory in a war if it came up and bit them in the ass:

Some Democrats objected to the frequent use of the word victory. "What is victory? Nobody has defined what victory is," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said.

The Dems were of course again stunned today when the House called for another vote on a resolution that:

"...honors the tremendous sacrifices" of U.S. forces and praises Iraqis for voting in parliamentary elections Thursday. It says U.S. forces would be required in Iraq "only until Iraqi forces can stand up so our forces can stand down, and no longer than is required for that purpose."

"Setting an artificial timetable for the withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Iraq, or immediately terminating their deployment in Iraq and redeploying them elsewhere in the region, is fundamentally inconsistent with achieving victory in Iraq," the resolution says.

Of course, shining the light on the den of cockroaches that is the DNC (and their RINO counterparts) every once in a while is a prudent practice for the benefit of the voter. Just a good reminder of just who the "fifth column" is in this country.


(Filed under Iraq, The Fifth Column, RINOS)

Goldang it anyway! ...Bush does it again..

Just when you think he's coming back to his senses, Bush goes soft and pulls another boneheaded about face. I was listening to Hot Talk (Without the "Ox") this morning; Steven Gottwalt, guest host, praised GWB's turnaround on his threat to veto the defense bill with the embedded McCain language, saying (paraphrasing), "He did the right thing. Even though there may be lives at stake, that shouldn't be a reason for America to resort to torture."

That, my dear readers, got my blood boiling. You see, the McCain amendment doesn't merely stop at torture (which is already against the law). The McCain amendment contains the following language:

(a) IN GENERAL.--No individual in the custody or under the physical control of the United States Government, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be subject to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

What's with this degrading treatment? When I pledged my college fraternity many moons ago, I underwent "degrading treatment" during "hell week". Some of these activities included having to wear our clothes inside-out while in public, having to carry a brick and paddle with you everywhere you went (even to classes), and stripping down to your underwear while folks poured water over you (not in public) and you had to do a jigue. Should my fraternity brothers have been brought to the Hague and held on charges? (BTW, after we were initiated we took our pledge educator, stripped him down to his underwear, and handcuffed him to a traffic light)

Now fast forward to a situation twenty-some odd years later, where we have a group of people who would just as soon lop off someone's head as talk with them. They have information that will no doubt save the lives of soldiers, and potentially countless lives with regard to preventing further attacks. And we're supposed to worry about their sensibilities and not engage in degrading treatment??? Even though it may result in getting the information we need to save lives??? Yet the proponents of this would have you think that everything covered in the McCain amendment has to do with torture. It simply doesn't. Simple "degrading treatment" does not torture make.

The mistake of Vietnam was that politicians in effect made the military engage the enemy with one hand tied behind their back and tied their shoelaces together for good measure. Politicians ran the war with the thought of what would be politically popular vs. what would end the conflict with victory. And here we are again, repeating the same insidious mistakes, with what amounts to a bill of rights for terrorists!

And don't give me that cock-and-bull about McCain being tortured while at the Hanoi Hilton, so we need to listen to him and to him only. Doesn't Sam Johnson, who was also tortured, get a say?

The Campaign Finance Reform laws authored by McCain were a disaster that resulted in even more money being brought into campaigns, while at the same time served to limit rights otherwise guaranteed under the First Amendment. Now ol' John McCain serves up another amendment that would actually add rights to those who would see us destroyed. And like with Campaign Finance Reform, all the other bleating sheep went right along with him for fear of the political ramifications of going against a war hero. Good going John. That took brains, didn't it? Actually, it didn't take brains. It took an amazing amount of Chutzpah, arrogance, and lack of foresight.

And what makes it worse? The Commander in Chief of our armed forces, who are giving their all in Iraq and elsewhere, has now given up the fight. He has taken away yet more tools at their disposal that could have otherwise allowed far fewer of them coming home in body bags. Or even worse, he has taken away valuable tools at their disposal that could have one day prevented another 9/11 or worse.

Now, besides trying to dodge bullets and IEDs, our soldiers will have to worry about being hauled off to court to face charges in front of some liberal judge on the possibility that he/she hurt the feelings of a poor, oppressed terrorist (the terrorist no doubt represented by an ACLU lawyer).

Good going McCain. Good going, the rest of you bastard sheep who voted for it. Good going, George W. Bush. I hope you all sleep well at night, in your comfortable beds, feeling better that you did a "feel-good" thing, while again unnecessarily tying the hands of those who are trying their damnedest to keep you safe.

If nothing else, know that you have earned the gratitude of whackos like these, not to mention the thanks of Islamo-fascist terrorists around the world, who may even stop to say "thank you" to their next victim, if they think of it.

Before they saw his head off.

Idiots.



(Filed under Religion of Peace?, RINOS, The Fifth Column)

Wish a Merry Christmas to the ACLU!

I thought this may be worth the effort:

Wanna have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD!
As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN, card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world.

Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.

Here's the Address, just don't be rude or crude.
(It's Not the Christian Way ya know?)

ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions.. So spend 37 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a Holiday Tree. . . . It's a Christmas Tree even in the fields!!

(h/t to Mainecoons from Unto the Breach)

(Filed under Secular Taliban)

Godspeed, good people of Iraq

The world's eyes are on you. Our forces gave you a special gift, paid for with the blood and treasure of the good citizens of the United States of America. We know you won't let us down. Our prayers are with you.


(Filed under Iraq, Heroes)

Like this is some kind of revelation or something..

From here:

President George W. Bush took the blame for going to war in Iraq over faulty intelligence but said he was right to topple Saddam and urged Americans to be patient as Iraqis vote.

"It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq, and I am also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities and we're doing just that," he said.

Okay, so Bush, as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, took responsibility for leading us into war. So what is the big deal with that?!? As CIC, Bush holds the final responsibility for military decisions. I remember a top-of-the-hour ABC radio news broadcast earlier today, as an anchorette proclaimed:

"President Bush today uttered the "R" word regarding Iraq!"

"The "R" word?" I thought. What the heck did that mean?? The next sentence was,

"President Bush said that he takes responsibility for acting on faulty intelligence on leading the U.S. into war in Iraq."

Like this was a remarkable revelation or something.

Remember this?

When Saddam Hussein continued to deceive weapons inspectors, Bush said, "I had a decision to make - to hope for the best and to trust the word of a madman and a tyrant - or remember the lessons of Sept. 11 and defend our country.

"Given a choice, I will defend America every time," he said to cheers.

But I guess that the MSM expects Bush to behave in the same manner as another president from an earlier administration, who only did not subscribe to the "buck stops here" philosophy, but made it a practice to be damned sure that the buck stayed as far away from him as possible. Bill Clinton stayed away from the "R" word like a vampire would keep his distance from garlic.

Get real.


(Filed under The Fifth Column)

Taking our own to the woodshed...

As I have posted before, there will be a special election in the St. Cloud area on December 27 for the District 15 Minnesota Senate seat vacated by now-mayor of St. Cloud, Dave Kleis, and the District 15b Minnesota house seat being vacated by Joe Opatz. Democrat challenger for the senate seat, Tarryl Clark has been running largely an issue-oriented campaign, and outside of some suspected dirty tricks, Clark has largely run an above-the-fray advertising campaign. Don't get me wrong for one minute. I in no way agree with Clark's political philosophy, which is way more in line with Howard Dean than with Joe Lieberman; it's just that the Republican side of the equation is coming on pretty strong with borderline sophomoric Clark attack ads, featuring a "Dean Scream" ad (an ad which connects Clark with Dean, interlaced every five seconds or so with the now-infamous "Dean Scream"). The ad states that Clark voted for Dean for DNC party chair, and thus she is in line with Dean's politics. Additionally, the ad calls Clark "Lawyer, Lobbyist, Loser" and labels Clark a "two time" loser for the seat. Now while all that may be true, this radio advertisement leaves a "bad taste" in one's mouth after hearing it, and it doesn't necessarily translate into a bad taste for the one being attacked. In other words, the ads take on such a mean-spirited, sophomoric tone, that the net effect is being put off by the messenger, not the message.

On the District 15b Representative side, there's an attack ad going against DFL challenger Larry Haws. In it, a "church lady" type voice admonishes Haws for voting himself a pay raise, and that Minnesotans are in danger of having their taxes raised should Haws be elected. The thing about it, Larry Haws is not an unknown commodity in St. Cloud area poltics. For many years (and currently) the chair of the Stearns County Board of Commissioners, Haws is well liked in the St. Cloud area by republicans and democrats alike. Running an attack ad against Haws is like running an attack ad against Santa Claus or your grandfather. Again, the message may be true; but the method of carrying that message speaks of poor taste by the message giver. Haws had debated Republican endorsed Sue Ek this past Friday on St. Cloud radio station KNSI; and to be quite truthful with you, Haws wiped the floor with her. Ek portrayed no sense of confidence nor mastery of the issues. (King Banaian appears to agree). And with Ek's current issues with difficulty in proving residency, these latest attack ads against Haws speak of desperation, not confidence; and do nothing to instill in the voter the sense that Ek would be a viable alternative to Haws; and IMO do nothing but reflect poorly on the MN GOP in general.

I guess what I am trying to say, is that, on balance, Republicans win when they stay on track and articulate their message of governing with conservative principles. District 15b and District 15 are strongly conservative areas; and have one of the largest concentrations of Bush voters per capita in the entire state of Minnesota.

Dan Ochsner, being well versed in issues, and well-grounded in conservative principles, could run rings around Tarryl Clark, just by staying on message. There's no need, in my opinion, to go negative at this point, which is what the preponderance of radio ads appear to be; not necessarily originating from "The Ox's" or Ek's campaigns per se, but from PACs.

These GOP-sided PACs (I haven't caught the taglines on the ads yet) are not doing their candidates any favors by sinking to the lowest common denominator and running negative attack ads. Quite the opposite.

One of the aspects of the Republican party that have I long enjoyed, is that traditionally the GOP has been a party of ideas. The DFL has traditionally been the party bankrupt of ideas, and more prone to be on the attack. These "attack" ads as of late appear to be a sad anomaly to the classiness and above-board manner in which Minnesota Republican campaigns, winning Republican campaigns, have traditionally been run.

We Republicans can and should do better.

(Filed under Elections)


****UPDATE**** 7:08am

I heard the Clark radio ad again this morning; it states it is sponsored by the "Senate Victory Committee", so indeed it appears to be sponsored by the State GOP.

In a "duhhhhhh" moment

Senator Tom Carper Starts off with talking sense in this story:

"I wish more of my colleagues, and folks like Howard Dean, would try going to Iraq to see the situation there for themselves," Carper told The News Journal.

I'm with you there, Tom... but then you go and say something like this:

Carper will take to the Senate floor Wednesday to discuss his observations in more depth. Anyone who has visited Iraq and talked to the people there, he said, "is not going to come back thinking this thing is going to be won militarily. It's not."

Instead, Carper said, he backs a policy of gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces as Iraqis take over military and political operations in their country. (emphasis mine)

Well, Senator Carper.. what the heck do you think that Bush's strategy has been all along?

Coalition troop levels, for example, will increase where necessary to defeat the enemy or provide additional security for key events like the referendum and elections. But troop levels will decrease over time, as Iraqis continue to take on more of the security and civilian responsibilities themselves.(emphasis added).

You'd think that Carper had re-invented the wheel.



(Filed under Iraq)

They deserve better...

From here:

SAN DIEGO -- There's controversy over how the military is transporting the bodies of service members killed overseas, 10News reported.

A local family said fallen soldiers and Marines deserve better and that one would think our war heroes are being transported with dignity, care and respect. It said one would think upon arrival in their hometowns they are greeted with honor. But unfortunately, the family said that is just not the case.

Dead heroes are supposed to come home with their coffins draped with the American flag -- greeted by a color guard.

But in reality, many are arriving as freight on commercial airliners -- stuffed in the belly of a plane with suitcases and other cargo.

John Holley and his wife, Stacey, were stunned when they found out the body of their only child, Matthew John Holley, who died in Iraq last month, would be arriving at Lindbergh Field as freight.

If this is true, I would consider this an outright shame and an abomination to those who so bravely gave their all to the cause of freedom. Click here for a video of the story.


(Filed under Heroes)

A study in conflicted emotions

Yeah, I know...Tookie assumed room temperature last night. As I have stated before, I am against the death penalty. It's my personal preference that convicts who would otherwise get the death penalty just live out the rest of their years in solitary confinement; no TV, no radio, no internet, bland diet--nothing but their thoughts to keep them company; where they could spend their remaining years thinking about the havoc that was caused via their actions.

Now I feel no singular sense of sorrow or shame when a convicted murderer gets the death penalty; I just don't think that it's our role to play God in this case.

I guess what I have the most difficulty with is the crowd who decries the death penalty for a person convicted of murdering four people in cold blood; after years of appeals and due process; yet I would venture to guess that many in that same crowd have no problem with another kind of death penalty where there is no due process for the executed, and where the executed has committed no crime other than to be conceived at an inopportune time in his would-be mother's life. It also appears that many in this crowd holds the life of the murderer in higher esteem and more worthy than the lives of the victims who died at his hands, and of the victims' families.

I don't know much of what to make of it. Just another anomaly in the sometimes twisted world in which we live.


(Filed under Defense of Life)

Merry Christmas, again from the Israelis.

Could we be so lucky as to again receive a present like this? From here:

ISRAEL’S armed forces have been ordered by Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, to be ready by the end of March for possible strikes on secret uranium enrichment sites in Iran, military sources have revealed.

The order came after Israeli intelligence warned the government that Iran was operating enrichment facilities, believed to be small and concealed in civilian locations.

If this happens, it will indeed be a red-letter day for global security. Bombing Saddam's nuclear reactor back in 1981 was the best thing that could have happened with regard to global security, both in the short- and long term. Saddam's Iraq as a nuclear power (which would have inevitably happened had that minor setback not occurred) would indeed have been a lethal force to be reckoned with, not only in the middle east, but worldwide (could you imagine the damage Saddam could have done by passing a few at-the-ready nukes to Al Qaeda?)

It looks like Israel may be the only force in the world with the balls to hit Iran with a similar lethal blow. Thank God. And even if that does not necessarily come to pass, the mere threat of it happening will make the Iranians look twice over their shoulder before attempting to do something stupid.

There's something to be said regarding setting a precedent.


(Filed uner Religion of Peace?, World Affairs)

Now they've gone and cloned Howard Dean!!

From here:

SAN FRANCISCO - Add another creation to the strange scientific menagerie where animal species are being mixed together in ever more exotic combinations. Scientists announced Monday that they had created mice with small amounts of human brain cells in an effort to make realistic models of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

And here I thought we had enough democrats. Sheesh.






(Filed under Fun stuff, Moonbat Adventures)

Democrat suicide watch continues...

From here:

Poll: Broad Optimism in Iraq, But Also Deep Divisions Among Groups

An ABC News poll in Iraq, conducted with Time magazine and other media partners, includes some remarkable results: Despite the daily violence there, most living conditions are rated positively, seven in 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead.

GASP!!!. BEGIN FULL PANIC MODE!!!

Why is it that when democrats speak, their words inevitably return to their collective mouth in the form of a foot?

I for one couldn't tell you the reason why it happens.

Only that I'm glad it does.

(Filed under The Fifth Column, Iraq, Moonbat Adventures)