Tradition

Here's a piece of nautical tradition that may be on the wane.

The midwatch log entry for 1 Jan is traditionally written in VERSE. The NAVY TIMES used to run a contest & publish the best

Here's one from the USCGC SWEETBRIER:

BY THE CHANGE OF A SECOND, THE MIDNIGHT HOUR IS PAST
AS DOES THE OLD YEAR, FOREVER GONE, NEVER LAST.
THE WATCH IS SET AND STARTS A NEW SHEET
TO LOG THE STATUS OF THE ROSE OF THE FLEET.

IN CHARLIE SHE SITS FOR THE DAWN OF THE NEW YEAR,
MOORED PORTSIDE TO THE CORDOVA CITY PIER.
THE NORTHERNMOST HOMEPORTED U.S. SHIP IS SHE,
FOR SHE RESTS ABOVE LATITUDE 60-33.

ABOVE HER SEASONED DECKS HER ENSIGN FLIES HIGH
STIFF WINDS MOVING THROUGH HER MAST WITH A CRY.
SIXTY KNOT GUSTS WILL NOT ENDANGER HER MOOR
FOR DOUBLE-UPS ARE ON LINES ONE AND FOUR.

WAIST LINES ARE RIGGED FORE AND AFT
SO ARCTIC WINDS WILL NOT ENDANGER THIS CRAFT.
HER LATERAL POSITION WILL ALSO STAY TRUE
DUE TO QUARTER LINES THREE AND TWO.

BELOW A KEEL SET BY IRON AND SWEAT
LIES A MUDDY BOTTON TWELVE FEET WET.
WATER TWO KNOTS FAST PASSES ALONGSIDE
RANGING NINETEEN FEET THIS SPRING TIDE.

DECK AND MOORING LIGHTS DISPLAYED NIGHTLY
ARE ENERGIZED AND BURNING BRIGHTLY.
AND FOR THE SEAPLANES TO BEHOLD
ALL AIRCRAFT WARNING LIGHTS SHINE BRIGHT AND BOLD.

THE SMALL BOATS, THEY ARE QUITE STABLE
NUMBERS TWO AND THREE HELD ON DECK BY CABLE.
AND SWEETBRIER ONE IS AT THE STARBOARD LOW RAIL,
READY TO HANDLE LOCAL SAR WITHOUT FAIL.

MESSAGES ARE SENT ANYTIME WHEN,
THANKS TO LANDLINE 39-10.
AND WITH D17 WE MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION
FOR AS OPCON/ADCON THEY MUST KNOW OUR SITUATION.

ENSIGN SCHMIDT IS THE OOD
WITH DUTY SECTION TWO TO OVERSEE.
SECTION ONE, THREE AND FOUR ARE ASHORE, AS IS WISE
FOR THEIR LIBERTY IS AUTHORIZED.

0845 THIS DAY WILL EXPIRE
SECTION THREE'S LIBERTY BEFORE WE RETIRE.
AND ON JANUARY 87, THE SECOND DAY,
LIBERTY EXPIRES FOR ALL HANDS AWAY.

WE ARE THE ROSE OF THE FLEET BY NICKNAME
A MULTI-MISSION VESSEL JUST THE SAME.
WITH A CALL TO DUTY AND A COURSE TO STEER
SEMPER PARATUS THROUGHOUT THE NEW YEAR.

Isn't she beautiful?

It's a girl!

My wife is pregnant with our first child! We went this week for the comprehensive ultrasound and found out that we're having a girl. It is really neat to see that little body moving about. Before all of this when a friend showed me a printout from their ultrasound, I could usually make out a vaguely human form but not much more than that. Now I see so much more in them. I look at them and think how beautiful my daughter is. It's amazing! I can't wait to meet her.

The Real Brown Hound

Here's the lucky puppy who this blog is named in honor of. Meet Hunter;



He is a 5 year old Chocolate Lab and a very good dog. I hope that I can find him a girlfriend some day so I can have some of his progeny running around.

People's Choice Awards

Barbra Streisand is asking her fellow moonbats to vote for Farenheit 9/11 as best movie in the People's Choice Awards. Please go and vote for Spiderman 2. And then go on and vote for The Passion and Team America in the other categories. Wouldn't that make them mad?

Update:Well, they seemed to have stopped the voting on movies.

Coast Guard helicopter crashes

A Coast Guard helicopter has crashed in the Bering Sea. It was carrying crewman evacuated from a powerless freighter. Four of the ten people on board were rescued by another Coast Guard helo that was participating in the rescue. The four included 3 Coasties and one crewman from the frieghter. The search for the remaining six continues.

More info here.

Military Pogs

Greyhawk of The Mudville Gazette is currently blogging from Iraq. He has an interesting post today about the pogs that the exchanges over there are using instead of coins. I clicked on the pictures of the pogs and they each feature a military themed photo. They are pretty neat looking. As I got to the 25 cent pogs, I found the Coast Guard pog. Here it is;

Out with the Old, In with the new

The Coast Guard is retiring the Beretta M9 9mm Pistol from active use. They have chosen the Sig P229 .40 S&W. Here's a link to the specs.



Purely for nostalgic reasons, I am going to miss the M9. I've been shooting it for 13 years. I even bought one. Everyone I speak to says that the Sig is an outstanding weapon. I look forward to taking it to the range.

Church Commercials

Feddie, at Southern Appeal, has a problem with the latest ad campaign of the United Church of Christ. Check it out.

The ad shows two guys reminiscent of club bouncers screening churchgoers on Sunday morning. Some are denied entrance. The commercial implies that gays and minorities are being denied access to churches.

My problem with the ad is that it's misleading. Is anyone being denied access to churches? No. By being a member of a church, you are saying that you agree with the premises of that religion/denomination/sect, etc. That doesn't mean blind obedience to every letter of church law and theology but there are fundamental truths that are held dear. Why do you think Bishop Spong created such a furor when he questioned the divinity of Christ?

Windsor Report

Bishop Lee of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has a well written article on the Windsor Report. A little background, in 2003, the Episcopal Church of the USA elevated an openly gay priest to the bishopric of New Hampshire. In reaction to that, the Archbishop of Canterbury convened a hearing to discuss the actions of the ECUSA and their impact on the Anglican Communion as a whole.

Pentagon to Cut Boy Scouts From Bases

The Boy Scouts seem to be under constant attack from the left. Now they've gotten to the Pentagon.

The Pentagon has agreed to warn military bases worldwide not to directly sponsor oy Scout troops, partially resolving claims that the government has engaged in religious discrimination by supporting a group that requires members to believe in God. The settlement announced last week is part of a series of legal challenges in recent years over how closely the government should be aligned with the Boy Scouts of America, a venerable organization that boasts a membership of more than 3.2 million members. Civil liberties advocates have set their sights on the organization's policies because the group bans openly gay scout leaders and compels members to swear an oath of duty to God. The ACLU believes that direct government sponsorship of such a program amounts to discrimination. The Pentagon said it has long had a rule against sponsorship of non-federal organizations and denied the rule had been violated. But it agreed to send a message to posts worldwide warning them not to sponsor Boy Scout troops or other such groups.

Goose

I bagged my first Canada Goose yesterday. I was thinking about deep frying it since I'll be cooking a turkey that way on Thursday. A coworker suggested that geese are too fatty/greasy for that. Other friends think it sounds good but haven't done it either. Has anyone else tried this?

Insult Art

From OpinionJournal's Tony and Tacky page.

Can anything top a British snub? Consider the reception planned for French President Jacques Chirac on his arrival yesterday in London: After alighting at Waterloo station, the Toronto Globe and Mail tittered earlier this week, Mr. Chirac was to watch "Les Misérables," the "musical adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel so disliked by French elites." The venue? Windsor Castle's Waterloo Chamber, "specially built by King George IV as a secular shrine to the defeat of the French, where large portraits of the Duke of Wellington and other British victors will glare down at the French President."

Arafat's Eulogy

Epitaph on the Politician

Here richly, with ridiculous display,
The Politician's corpse was laid away.
While all of his acquaintance sneered and slanged
I wept: for I had longed to see him hanged.

-Hilaire Belloc

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day. As you are out today running errands and you see a veteran, walk up to him and say "thank you." Trust me, he will really appreciate it.

Too Much Time On Their Hands

I was a little bored today and ran across Cockeyed.com. These guys have taken on the questions that have plagued all men when they were still bachelors. Questions such as; how much gold is actually in a bottle of Goldschlager? Is Ramen a bunch of short noodles or one long one? There's also, how many solo cups can you fill with a keg?

Then lengths these guys go to answer these questions it, well, disturbing. They went to the trouble though so check it out.

Just Asking

The editors at the Richmond Times-Dispatch want to know; How's that internal investigation of the ballyhooed Texas Air National Guard memos aired by CBS coming - and Dan Rather's apology to President Bush?

Fiesta Chowder

Now that it's starting to get cold, here's a great chowder to keep you warm. It makes a big batch and the leftovers can be warmed up for lunch or whatever.


Fiesta Chowder

List of Ingredients

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (1.4 ounce) package fajita seasoning mix, divided
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (15 1/4 ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 (2 1/2 ounce) can sliced ripe olives (optional)
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed nacho cheese soup*
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice


Instructions

1. Combine flour and 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat.
2. Cook chicken in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring often, 4 minutes or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-high; add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Stir in remaining fajita seasoning, corn, next 5 ingredients, and, if desired, olives. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove lid, and stir in nacho cheese soup, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Garnish, if desired, and serve with breadsticks, if desired.

*If you can't find nacho cheese soup, Campbells has a pepperjack soup that works really well too.

Linked to the Beltway Traffic Jam
Linked to the Carnival of Recipes.

Supreme Work Out

Feddie at Southern Appeal got a behind the scenes tour of the Supreme Court which included the basketball court. Can anyone picture the justices in a pick up game of hoops?

W!

Bush Wins Guam!

The Guam results are in and it is safe to call Guam a Red, um, Territory!
The final talley;
Bush 17,264 63.9%
Kerry 9,540 35.3%
Nader 153 0.5%
Badnarik 53 0.2%

Kerry's Discharge

The New York Sun has an article by Thomas Lipscomb today concerning John Kerry's discharge from the Navy.

A member of the Harvard Law School admissions committee recalled that the real reason Mr. Kerry was not admitted was because the committee was concerned that because Mr. Kerry had received a less than honorable discharge they were not sure he could be admitted to any state bar.(emphasis added)

This must be why Kerry won't release his military records. If this is true, it is one more bit of evidence that Kerry has no sense of honor.

Battle History of the Coast Guard

Nov 11, at 9 p.m., the History Channel will air a two-hour Coast Guard special feature titled "History of the U.S. Coast Guard: Life Savers to the World." The poignant feature includes historical footage and photographs along with interviews with Admiral James Loy, Dr. Robert Browning, Marvin Perrett, Robert Resnick, Dr. Vince Patton, and several others. This powerful and insightful documentary contains numerous images and interviews about our rich maritime history and wartime efforts. This feature is the result of more than one year of extensive historical research, interviews and filming by Lou Reda Productions, Inc. with the grateful assistance from numerous Coast Guard offices and units across the U.S.

It's begun!

Tall Glass of Milk at Drink This has discovered that she was a victim of voter fraud. Somebody changed her address and party affiliation. Want to guess what they changed her party to? Fortunately, she went in to vote early and discovered the fraud before the soon to be felon got a chance to vote in her name.

This is the most important election of our time! Get out and vote. They can't steal it if it isn't close.

Presidential Coffee Cup Poll

We have all been inundated with poll after poll that pretty much all say the same thing. Seven Eleven is running a coffee poll. They have three types of cups at their coffee counter. One is plain and the other two say either Bush or Kerry. When you go pay, the clerk records your "vote." As of now, Bush leads 51% to 48%.

They also list the results broken down by state and metropolitan area. If you take the state results and put them on an electoral college map, you get Bush with 212 and Kerry with 191. Evidently, not every state in the US has a 7-Eleven (news to me).

Some of the results are obviously off. The results from DC are Bush 55%, Kerry 44%. That dog just doesn't hunt.

The results are interesting when you think about who gets coffee from 7-Eleven. Everybody does. It is a real cross section of society.

I regularly go to 7-Eleven for coffee and have gotten a Bush cup twice. Lately every store I've been to has been out of cups. The results are updated daily. Have fun.

Dogs for Bush

Here's why one dog is for Bush;

Ubu is fifteen years old and is for Bush because she's convinced he would throw the stick for her again if she brought it to him. She's convinced Kerry would give it to some other 'disadvantaged' dog and chastize her for unjust hoarding of sticks. (Like he's got room to talk!)

Check out the other dogs. You can add your own too. I'll have to submit the Brown Hound's picture.

Give a Pint!

There is an ongoing need for blood donors in support of the military. Through the Armed Service Blood Program (ASBP), you can give blood that could very well save the life of a Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman or Coastie. If the ASBP supply of blood is exhausted, the military has to buy the blood for as much as $250 per unit. That is money that could go to other military needs. To find the blood donation center closest to you, go here.

Semper Paratus

Crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin and Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron made a 4,000-pound cocaine bust Saturday afternoon, in the Colombian basin and detained four suspect smugglers from a go-fast vessel.

This bust is the first one of the new fiscal year, which began Oct. 1 and follows a record shattering year in FY 2004 with more than 240,000 pounds of cocaine seized in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean.

The 40-foot drug-smuggling go-fast was spotted by Gallatin's embarked MH-68 Sting Ray helicopter crew in international waters Saturday at about 4:45 p.m. As soon as the crew aboard the go-fast knew they had been spotted, they began throwing bales overboard and a chase ensued.

The helicopter's crew gave the go-fast multiple visual and verbal warnings to stop, but they were ignored. At about 5:30, the Sting Ray was given permission to fire warning shots and disabling fire and safely disabled all three outboard engines on the go-fast.

Bush Endorsement

Remember how the media picked up on the Crawford, TX paper endorsing Kerry? Well, now the Lowell Sun, Kerry's hometown paper, has endorsed President Bush. Why haven't the wire services picked this up? Here's a sample;

When it comes to the war on terror, President Bush means to keep our military strong and our country secure. John Kerry, on the other hand, has all the attributes of the shape of water when it comes to telling us what he believes and what he'd do for America. Like incoming and outgoing tides, Kerry is content to go with the flow. In a dangerous world infested with sharks, Kerry would be chum at America's expense.

We in Massachusetts know John Kerry. He got his first taste of politics 32 years ago in the cities and towns of Greater Lowell.

In his 20 years in the U.S. Senate, Kerry, a Navy war hero, hasn't risen above the rank of seaman for his uninspiring legislative record. He's been inconsistent on major issues. First he's for the 1991 Persian Gulf War, then he opposes it. First he's for the war in Iraq, then he's against it. First he's for a strong U.S. defense, then he votes against military weapons programs. First he's for the U.S. Patriot Act, then he opposes it.

Kerry's solution to stop terrorism? He'd go to the U.N. and build a consensus. How naive. France's Jacques Chirac, Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and other Iraq oil-for-food scam artists don't want America to succeed. They want us brought down to their level. And more and more, Kerry sounds just like them. In a recent campaign speech, Kerry said America was in the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

No doubt John Kerry sincerely wants to serve his country, but we believe he's the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

The whole thing is worth a read.

Link via The Corner.

Fairness In Iraq

Non PC in Latte Land has a great first post for his blog entitled, "Fairness in Iraq." It's well written and worth a read. Please check it out.

Global Test

Planning some foreign policy actaion? Well, you are going to have to take the Global Test to make sure that you will still be respected in the world community. Good Luck!

Online Polls

The moonbats at the Democratic Underground have compiled a very handy list of links to various online polls about last night's debate. Be sure to click on them and vote.

Update: I've been looking at some of these and judging by the results I'm seeing, this has caused a DU feeding frenzy.

Update 2: Southern Appeal has noticed the same thing.

Update 3: Linked to the Beltway Jam on Outside the Beltway

Unilateral?

The big lie seems to be that we are in Iraq all by ourselves. Here's a list that was compiled by the Candian Broadcasting Corporation. We are not there alone by a long shot.

United Kingdom: 9,000 soldiers

Italy: 3,000 soldiers, some serving as police and engineers

Poland: 2,400 soldiers

Ukraine: 1,600 soldiers

Netherlands: 1,100 soldiers plus a logistics team, a field hospital, military police and 200 engineers

Japan: 1,100 soldiers assigned to reconstruction

Australia: 800 soldiers

Romania: 700 soldiers plus 149 de-mining specialists, military police and "special intelligence" members

South Korea: 600 military engineers and medics

Bulgaria: 480 soldiers plus chemical warfare experts

Thailand: 440 soldiers assigned to humanitarian missions

Denmark: 420 soldiers including medics and military police

El Salvador: 360 soldiers

Hungary: 300 soldiers

Norway: 179 soldiers, mostly engineers and mine clearers

Mongolia: 160 soldiers involved in peacekeeping

Azerbaijan: 150 soldiers taking part in law enforcement and protection of historic monuments

Portugal: 125 soldiers functioning as police officers

Latvia: 120 soldiers

Lithuania: 115 soldiers

Slovakia: 102 soldiers

Czech Republic: 80 soldiers, serving as police

Philippines: 80 soldiers plus police and medics

Albania: 70 non-combat troops

Georgia: 70 soldiers

New Zealand: 60 army engineers assigned to reconstruction (expected to leave in Sept. 2004)

Moldova: 50 soldiers including de-mining specialists and medics

Macedonia: 35 soldiers

Estonia: 30 soldiers

Great Music

Carbon Leaf is one of my favorite bands. They are from Richmond and are currently touring nationwide. You can listen to their newest album on the website. Give them a listen.

I'd heard this before but I couldn't relocate the source. Well, here it is again. Bush volunteered to go to Vietnam. Details here.

"The Air Force, in their ultimate wisdom, assembled a group of 102's and took them to Southeast Asia. Bush volunteered to go. But he needed to have 500 [flight] hours, but he only had just over 300 hours so he wasn't eligible to go,” Morrisey recalls.

Instapundit is on the case.

Semper Paratus

An HH-65 from AIR STATION DETROIT hoisted a man after being stranded on his roof in Beaver, PA. Franklin Twp 911 requested aircraft assistance in rescuing an individual from his roof. Rushing waters from severe flooding prevented four previous attempts by the local fire department to rescue the man. AIR STATION DETROIT arrived on scene, basket hoisted the man and transported him to safety. Case closed.

Hurricane Updates

I have found an excellend website for the latest hurricane news. It is Crown Weather Services. I check it several times during the day. I hope that you find it useful.

Another interesting site is the National Buoy Data Center. It provides near real-time observations from weather buoys all over the world.

Good Order and Discipline

When John Kerry testified before the Senate in 1971, he was still a commissioned officer in the Naval Reserve. I have to wonder if that testimony violated the following punitive article of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

ART. 88. CONTEMPT TOWARD OFFICIALS
Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

Linked to the Beltway Traffic Jam on Outside the Beltway.

Duck Season!

I haven't gone hunting in several years. I am now getting the chance to go duck hunting for the first time (I've only hunted quail). So, I started to go buy some 12 guage shells and I'm immediately overwhelmed by the selection out there now. I knew that lead shot was a no-no but I didn't realize that steel wasn't the only alternative.

So, here's my bleg; what type of shot should I use and what size? My shotgun is a 12 guage semi-automatic. It chambers 2-3/4 inch shells and has a full choke.

Ted Rall out does himself

Ted Rall has to be one of the biggest DNC whores in the world. Everytime he pulls some vile stunt, I think that he couldn't possible do worse. Well he did.

Muslim Cleric supports targeting children

The Telegraph has this story about a Muslim cleric who says that targeting children is acceptable. Here's his quote;

"If an Iraqi Muslim carried out an attack like that in Britain, it would be justified because Britain has carried out acts of terrorism in Iraq.

"As long as the Iraqi did not deliberately kill women and children, and they were killed in the crossfire, that would be okay."

He gave this interview to promote an upcoming celebration of the 9/11 attacks on the US. What a charmer! A member of the British Parliament had this to say about it, "It is an insult to most moderate Muslims, who are sick of people like this claiming to represent them." The thing is, why aren't the moderate Muslims saying it? Has anyone heard anything from them? They must exist right?

Blogging at the RNC

Since the networks have decided to show reruns of Fear Factor instead of the Republican National Convention, we'll have to rely on the blogs for coverage. Well, to be honest, I'd be getting the news from the blogs anyway. RNC Bloggers is tracking all of the credentialed bloggers covering the convention. Bookmark this one.

If Kerry Were a Republican

A family member emailed this to me. It originally came from Midwest Pundits.

The strange, parallel world of John Kerry floats along with little intruding on its feeling of self-importance and entitlement. It might be said that all presidential candidates have a bit of strangeness about them, but Kerry goes beyond the caricatures that have been created of those from the past. He, or rather his wife, is exceedingly rich, at a level of which few can even dream. His ancestral line can be traced back to the Pilgrims of the seventeenth century. He was educated in private, expensive schools. He is the “champion” of a party that likes to consider itself the defender of the little people. A strange brew indeed.

A person can’t help but to wonder how John Kerry and those supporting him would be treated if fortune were to shake the world and John Kerry were to land on his feet as a solid Republican. Some ideas:

1. John Kerry would be vilified as a war criminal based upon his own words regarding his conduct in the Vietnam War.

2. He would be mocked for having the vanity and foresight to take a movie camera with him to war in order to record heroic images of himself walking about with a weapon.

3. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth would be booked solid from now until the election day on “news” shows with Katie Couric, the folks at 60 Minutes, Chris Matthews, Paula Zahn, Harry Smith, etc.

4. He would be peppered with sarcastic questions regarding his choice of women. What are the chances that a man would fall in love two times in his life, first with a woman whose family was worth $300 million and second with a woman with a net worth of possibly $1 billion? That he was a “kept” man would always run beneath the surface of any such questions and stories.

5. Pictures of the multi-million dollar mansions (all five of them) of which he calls home and the jet and watercraft which he calls toys would flood the airways.

6. He would be derided for his stiff, patrician mannerisms, his well-coiffed hair and his obvious use of either medicine or the services of a plastic surgeon to keep the face as tight as possible.

7. Theresa Heinz-Kerry would not be considered a breath of fresh air, but instead would be thought a kook and a pretentious one at that.

8. We would have many in-depth reports of the deleterious effects of one George Soros on American Politics. The nefarious manner in which he earned his billions, though they might be legal, would be much reported and condemned.

9. Michael Moore would be in Vietnam, searching for and interviewing the family of the wounded Vietcong that Kerry shot in the back to win his Silver Star.

10. Sandy Berger would be in seclusion and John Kerry would find no relief from the blistering inquiries of a rabid press wondering how Kerry could have as his primary security advisor one who purloined classified documents by hiding them in his trousers and then throwing them away.

If Kerry is one to have nightmares, this might be the scariest. To wake up a Republican and find out that, yes, there is media bias in the world.

Open Letter to Kerry

Here's the text of the letter that Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson tried to give to Max Cleland. He wouldn't take it though.

Dear Senator Kerry,

We are pleased to welcome your campaign representatives to Texas today. We honor all our veterans, all whom have worn the uniform and served our country. We also honor the military and National Guard troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan today. We are very proud of all of them and believe they deserve our full support.

That's why so many veterans are troubled by your vote AGAINST funding for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, after you voted FOR sending them into battle. And that's why we are so concerned about the comments you made AFTER you came home from Vietnam. You accused your fellow veterans of terrible atrocities and, to this day, you have never apologized. Even last night, you claimed to be proud of your post-war condemnation of our actions.

We're proud of our service in Vietnam. We served honorably in Vietnam and we were deeply hurt and offended by your comments when you came home.

You can't have it both ways. You can't build your convention and much of your campaign around your service in Vietnam, and then try to say that only those veterans who agree with you have a right to speak up. There is no double standard for our right to free speech. We all earned it.

You said in 1992 "we do not need to divide America over who served and how." Yet you and your surrogates continue to criticize President Bush for his service as a fighter pilot in the National Guard.

We are veterans too -- and proud to support President Bush. He's been a strong leader, with a record of outstanding support for our veterans and for our troops in combat. He's made sure that our troops in combat have the equipment and support they need to accomplish their mission.

He has increased the VA health care budget more than 40% since 2001 -- in fact, during his four years in office, President Bush has increased veterans funding twice as much as the previous administration did in eight years ($22 billion over 4 years compared to $10 billion over 8.) And he's praised the service of all who served our country, including your service in Vietnam.

We urge you to condemn the double standard that you and your campaign have enforced regarding a veteran's right to openly express their feelings about your activities on return from Vietnam.

Sincerely,
Texas State Land Commissioner
Jerry Patterson
Rep. Duke Cunningham
Rep. Duncan Hunter
Rep. Sam Johnson
Lt. General David Palmer
Robert O'Malley, Medal of Honor Recipient
James Fleming, Medal of Honor Recipient

Olympic Basketball

It seems like I'm not the only one that really doesn't care that the U. S. Men's Basketball Team is losing. When we send a group to represent the United States in internation competition, they should be proud to be there. These guys just don't seem to grasp that. This is exactly why I just can not get into the NBA. Let's quit sending pro players to the game and instead make up a squad of college all-stars. I bet that they would hustle and realize just how special it is to play in the Olympics.

We got us a troll

Grouchy Old Cripple gives a recap on a troll that came onto his site with the normal moveon.org talking points. In short, there was a big gang up on the troll with, get this, FACTS! Trolls can be fun. It's a good read.

I'm Back

I'm back from school now. I apologize for the lack of blogging the past week and a half but I've been trying to catch up with everything that piled up while I was gone. So I hope that you'll start checking in on a regular basis.

Vietname Vets Blast Kerry in New TV Ad

Human Events Exclusive: Vietname Vets Blast Kerry in New TV Ad This is a very powerful ad. I'll try to comment on it further.

Blog Break

The Coast Guard is sending me to school.  I won't have any time to blog while I'm there.  I'll be back in three weeks.  Meanwhile, please leave a comment so I know who has been coming by.  Talk to you soon.

Bush and Cheney

There's been a lot of talk about Bush dumping Cheney from the ticket. Some feel that Cheney changed his physician as a prelude to a medical excuse for him to step aside. Barring a (God forbid)serious medical emergency, Cheney is going to stay on the ticket. One of the traits of the Bush family is loyalty to those who are loyal to them. Cheney is a great VP. No one in their right mind is saying that he wants to run for president in '08. He has gone as far as he wants but he could be President if it came to that.
That being said, wouldn't it be great to see the reaction of the left to Bush/Rice '04 bumper stickers?

The Phillipines

I am just dumbfounded at this news. The Phillipines have decided to withdraw their troops from Iraq in exchange for the release of a Filipino hostage held by Islamist terrorists. Do they really think that this will stop violence? It might stop any Filipino's being taken hostage for awhile but that's it. All this will do is embolden the terrorists to go after the smaller members of the coalition and try and pick them off one by one.

This is all the more surprising considering the resistance that the Filipinos put up against the Japanese in WWII.

Red State is Up

Redstate.org is up now. This site was developed by Tacitus. Here's a quote from the site's mission statement;

RedState.org is focused on politics, and seeks the construction of a Republican majority in the United States. We hope to unite serious, innovative, and accomplished voices from government, politics, activism, civil society, and journalism to participate in this work.

Check it out and put it in your favorites. I have.

Fake voter sign-ups increasing

Is anyone really surprised that fake voter sign-ups are increasing? It just goes how far the left will go to get rid of Bush. Amazing isn't it? The left has a history of ignoring the law if it feels that a "greater good" is being accomplished by breaking it.
This election is Bush's to lose and it would be very easy for him to do so.

Law and Scruples

Today's Richmond Times-Dispatch has a great editorial on the judiciary, entitled, Law and Scruples. For a little background on the story, go here. While the story is a Virginia one, the points raised reflect what's going on in the country today especially with the Massachusettes Supreme Court. Read on.


In issuing an injunction to prevent enforcement of the accidentally reinstated blue law, Circuit Court Judge T.J. Markow made a trenchant point: 'The legislative process, like the judicial process, is sacred. It isn't the function of the court to rectify the situation' by correcting legislative mistakes.
Indeed not - particularly because the legislative branch is the most democratic of the three, while the judiciary is the least democratic. The day-at-rest injunction happens to address a situation in which the lawmakers themselves admit to being horrified by the oversight they committed, but it still sets an unhappy precedent. Imagine the havoc that might ensue were judges to begin routinely overturning statutes on the ground that they knew what the legislature really meant to achieve.
Actually, one need not imagine. One need only survey the national landscape and observe activist judges completely ignoring original intent - never mind a plain reading of legislative or constitutional text - to reinvent the law in the image of their own policy preferences. 'Rectifying the situation' easily could be yet another gauzy veil behind which to hide judicial usurpations of power.
Markow deserves credit for the unease he displayed in responding to desperate pleas. The nation would be a better place if more jurists displayed similar scruples."

Police Chiefs Thumb Nose At Illegal-Immigration Laws

Jennifer Nelson has an interesting article on illegal immigrants in of all papers, The San Francisco Chronicle. She is astounded that police chiefs in California are holding press conferences to assure illegal immigrants in their jurisdictions that they are NOT cooperating with federal authorities. Of course the statements are being mad in both English and Spanish so those who are here illegaly and unwilling to learn English will know that the local cops won't enforce the law.

At one point though, Nelson tries to have it both ways when she says;

It's not that I believe all people who come here illegally are criminals. Many are not, though we've got a good number of them sitting in our jails and prisons. But the folks who come here illegally are not stupid. They know they broke a law to get here, and they know they are staying here illegally.

In my definition of criminal, all illegal aliens are criminals because they broke the law to get here.

Of course, whenever one talks about illegal aliens, the left will often call them a racist. They say that we don't want anyone immigrating into the country. What bunk! This is a nation of laws. We can't say that one group has to follow the law and another doesn't. That would be racist and unfair. If you want to immigrate to the country there is a process to do so. I'm sorry if it takes time to complete but if you want become an American badly enough, isn't it worth the wait? I would think so.

Today's Reading Assignment

The Bleat today is a must read. James Lileks dissects Michael Moore's Fourth of July editorial.

Debunking the DaVinci Code

Father Jones has a problem with the Da Vinci Code. That shouldn't come as a surprise, a lot of peole have a problem with it. Father Jones has put his problems on paper and wrote Cracking the Code (link in pdf format). I'll let him describe what his problem is;

So what is my problem? Well, my problem with The Da Vinci Code is that the book blurs the lines between fiction and fact – in a way that comes across to me as deceptive, false and willfully misleading. Most of all, I am troubled that many readers finish the book with grave questions about the essentials of the Christian faith and Church history. As a pastor, and a public Christian authority, I have spoken with countless numbers of confused people – who have read the book, and simply don’t know what to make of the supposedly factual remarks by the book’s scholarly characters. People don’t know what to make of the claim to factuality made in the title pages of the hard-cover edition. People in my church, all of whom are normally highly educated, don’t know what in the book is true and what is pure fiction.

I read the Code and also Brown's first book, Angels and Demons. They weren't the best books that I have read by far. I took them for what they were, entertaining stories. I don't look for my history lessons from fiction.

Father Jones' paper is well worth the read.

VP Choice Scoop

An aviation forum scooped Kerry's Veep choice at 9:45 last night! The internet is an amazing thing. Here's the post;
"John Kerry's 757 was in hgr 4 pit tonight John Edwards vp decals were being put on engine cowlings and upper fuselage. :up: "

Democrats and Gun Safety.

If I was on the range and had my finger on the trigger like this, the Gunner's Mates would pull me off of the line in a heartbeat.
Can anyone come up with a good caption for this photo?

Rock Paper Saddam

What do you mean you've never heard of Tiger Hand?

Mystery Quote

Can you guess who said the following?

"It would be naive to the point of grave danger not to believe that, left to his own devices, Saddam Hussein will provoke, misjudge, or stumble into a future, more dangerous confrontation with the civilized world . . . .He has supported and harbored terrorist groups, particularly radical Palestinian groups such as Abu Nidal, and he has given money to families of suicide murderers in Israel . . . .We should not go to war because these things are in his past, but we should be prepared to go to war because of what they tell us about the future."

Give up? It was said by Senator John Kerry in October 2002.
Hat tip; Richmond Times Dispatch.

Where is the South?

Class Maledictorian has asks Where is the South? Be sure to check out the comments. My comments were;
My family has been in Virginia since 1609. So I consider myself a Southerner. I think that should be the defining characterstic of the South. It is where the people call themselves Southerners. That is why people in southern Virginia call NoVa, "occupied Virginia." The people there aren't from there and those that are don't consider themselves Southerners.

New $50 Bill

I like it. Not too many 50's wind up in my wallet though.

Humane Society Zealots

The other day I went to the local Humane Society to purchase my annual dog license. I brought the proof that my brown hound had been vaccinated for rabies and handed it over to one of the two ladies behind the counter. The conversation went something like this;
"How much does the license cost?"

"It's only four dollars. Is your pet neutered?"

"No."

Disdainful look at me then a sideways glance at the other lady. "In that case, it'll be eight dollars." That's fine with me. I chose to leave the brown hound "intact" and if that means paying $4 extra, so be it.

The lady continues, "would you like to get him neutered?"

"No, but thanks for asking."

"No," she looks at her companion again obviously thinking that I am a horrible pet owner.

For some reason, I try to reason with them by saying, "he's such a handsome dog that I breed him."

At this the temperature in the room seemed to drop and the other lady finally chimes in, "you and about 9,000 other people."

I decided that I had better quit while I was ahead. I took my license and left. I try to temper my reaction to them because they work at the humane society and see hundreds of stray and abandoned pets. It irratates me that they assumed that I was irresponsible. How would their reaction had changed if I told them that I bred my dog and trained the puppies as companion animals or search and rescue dogs? I'll never know because I didn't think of that until about 2 hours after I left. Never fails.

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Added to the Beltway Traffic Jam.

Revisionist Christianity Part II

There's more information on the PC version of the Bible titled, "Good As New." World Net Daily referst to it as The Bible for Idiots. Here are some tidbits to get your blood pressure up;

Take, for example, Mark 1:4. The King James Version reads: "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

The "Good as New" version?

"John, nicknamed 'The Dipper,' was 'The Voice.' He was in the desert, inviting people to be dipped, to show they were determined to change their ways and wanted to be forgiven."
[snip]
The KJV translation of Matthew 26:69-70 reads: "Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, 'Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.' But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest."

The "Good as New" version?

"Meanwhile Rocky was still sitting in the courtyard. A woman came up to him and said: 'Haven't I seen you with Jesus, the hero from Galilee?" Rocky shook his head and said: 'I don't know what the hell you're talking about!'"

So did you notice the play on Peter's name? Pretty clever huh? Not!

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The first part of this post is here.

F9/11 vs The Passion

Blogger Jeff Percifield of Beautiful Atrocities collects blurbs from the same reviewers on Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," and the results are often hilarious, as the critics laud Moore for the same reasons they damned Gibson.

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Hat Tip:
Best of the Web Today.

Liberals and YOUR money.

This is what Hillary! had to say at a recent fundraiser.: "'Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you,' Sen. Clinton said. 'We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.'"

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Why do liberals think it is a sin to do well in your life?

Sovreign Iraq

Iraq has received sovreignty two days ahead of schedule. After months of the left saying that we would never hand over power in Iraq it has been done. Now, is the left congratulating the administration on delivering on its promise? Of course not. Richard Clark was on the radio today saying that Bremmer snuck out of the country and that the Iraquis aren't ready for sovreignty. Begging to Differ has the roundup of what the moonbats at the Democratic Underground are saying. They are all worried that this is going to hurt Kerry. It's rather telling isn't it that democracy and autonomy in Iraq would hurt the Demcrats (presumptive) nominee for president.

James Lileks has a visitor.

James Lileks recounts a conversation with a Kerry supporter that was going door to door.

"A minor political note, if you're interested in such things. The other day a young girl came to the door to solicit my support for her presidential candidate. I asked her why I should vote for this man. She was very nice and earnest, but if you got her off the talking points she was utterly unprepared to argue anything, because she didn't know what she was talking about. She had bullet points, and she believed that any reasonable person would see the importance of these issues and naturally fall in line. But she could not support any of her assertions. Her final selling point: Kerry would roll back the tax cuts.

Then came the Parable of the Stairs, of course. My tiresome, shopworn, oft-told tale, a piece of unsupportable meaningless anecdotal drivel about how I turned my tax cut into a nice staircase that replaced a crumbling eyesore, hired a few people and injected money far and wide - from the guys who demolished the old stairs, the guys who built the new one, the family firm that sold the stone, the other firm that rented the Bobcats, the entrepreneur who fabricated the railings in his garage, and the guy who did the landscaping. Also the company that sold him the plants. And the light fixtures. It's called economic activity. What's more, home improvements added to the value of this pile, which mean that my assessment would increase, bumping up my property taxes. To say nothing of the general beautification of the neighborhood. Next year, if my taxes didn't shoot up, I had another project planned. Raise my taxes, and it won't happen - I won't hire anyone, and they won't hire anyone, rent anything, buy anything. You see?

"Well, it's a philosophical difference," she sniffed. She had pegged me as a form of life last seen clilcking the leash off a dog at Abu Ghraib. “I think the money should have gone straight to those people instead of trickling down.” Those last two words were said with an edge.

“But then I wouldn’t have hired them,” I said. “I wouldn’t have new steps. And they wouldn’t have done anything to get the money.”

“Well, what did you do?” she snapped.

“What do you mean?”

“Why should the government have given you the money in the first place?”

“They didn’t give it to me. They just took less of my money.”

That was the last straw. Now she was angry. And the truth came out:

“Well, why is it your money? I think it should be their money.”

Then she left.

And walked down the stairs. I let her go without charging a toll. It’s the philanthropist in me.

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That is one of the biggest difference between liberals and conservatives. Liberals see tax cuts as government giving money away, usually to the "wrong" people. Conservatives know that tax cuts means the government is taking less of their money and leaving it in the pockets of those who earned it.

Michael Moore smackdown part III

National Review's Jonah Goldberg talks about Michael Moore. There is too much there to excerpt so read the whole thing.

Moonbat Convention

The Moonbats, I mean, the Green Party held their convention the other day. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covered the proceedings.

"The daylong proceedings Saturday comprised many of the theatrics not seen in mainstream political parties, including outright denunciations of the United States, literature praising Communist dictator Fidel Castro and even a ballot cast for the late Socialist Eugene Debs.

The convention hall stage didn't even have an actual American flag.
Instead, in the usual place of honor for Old Glory, was displayed a flag with the picture of the Earth. On the other side was an altered American flag with a peace sign where the stars would be."

They also told Nader to pack sand and nominated David Cobb to be their presidential candidate. Look for tin foil hats with "Cobb for President" at your local "tobacco accessories" store soon.

Coalition of the Wild Eyed

Check out the new campaign commercial from the President. He has taken a montage of statements from Gore, Gephardt, Michael Moore and other Kerry supports. They also show some of the stuff from moveon.org. The Democrats hate it. It's good stuff.

"Our Enemy Is Not Terrorism"

The Foundation for the Defense of Democracy has excerpts of a speech given by John Lehman at the Naval Academy. Lehman is a former Secretary of the Navy and currently a member of the 9/11 Commission. It is well worth a read. Here's an excerpt.

"Many will recall with pain what we went through in the Reagan administration in 1983, when the Marine barracks were bombed in Beirut-241 Marines and Navy corpsmen were killed. We immediately got an intercept from NSA [National Security Agency], a total smoking gun from the foreign ministry of Iran, ordering the murder of our Marines. Nothing was done to retaliate.

"Instead, we did exactly what the terrorists wanted us to do, which was to withdraw. Osama bin Laden has cited this as one of his dawning moments. The vaunted United States is a paper tiger; Americans are afraid of casualties; they run like cowards when attacked; and they don't even bother to take their dead with them. This was a seminal moment for Osama.

"After that, we had our CIA station chief kidnapped and tortured to death. Nothing was done. Then, we had our Marine Colonel [William R.] Higgins kidnapped and publicly hanged. Nothing was done. We fuelled and made these people aware of the tremendous effectiveness of terrorism as a tool of jihad. It worked. They chased us out of one place after another, because we would not retaliate."

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Hat Tip; A Collection of Thoughts
Added to the Beltway Traffic Jam on Outside the Beltway.

2004 as 1980? Another view from the Crystal Ball

Here's the latest from Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball for all the political junkies out there.

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Sabato's Crystal Ball, Vol. II Issue 27
www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball >
Another view from the Crystal Ball

By Larry J. Sabato
Director, UVa Center for Politics
June 24, 2004

Back on June 10, we issued an analysis that suggested just how similar the election of 1980--Carter v. Reagan v. Anderson--was to the election of 2004--Bush v. Kerry v. Nader. (http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/updates_04-06-10.htm) Remarkably, just in the last week or so, we have heard our words used, almost verbatim (and in the news business tradition, without attribution), by quite a number of news analysts and commentators. So be it, as imitation is the highest form of flattery!

But the contrarian in us is rebelling, now that our thinking has become the dreaded conventional wisdom, embraced by the noxious Beltway pundit class.

Is there another way of looking at the same two election years? Is the Pope Catholic? Here with a few differences, to balance the similarities to 1980 we offered earlier:

1. Jimmy Carter would have given his right leg and left foot for the kind of sterling economy George W. Bush is presenting to the American public. A recession that likely began at the end of the Clinton administration, aggravated by the 9/11 attacks, has given way to a low-inflation, low-interest rates, job-creating, income-producing machine that is easily the equal of the one Bill Clinton claimed credit for in his reelection bid of 1996. By contrast, Carter had to defend an economic basket case of double-digit inflation, sky-high interest rates, and an ongoing recession. The American public's sour mood on the economy should begin to lift as the positive fiscal statistics continue to mount (assuming the news media gives even half the credit to Bush that they gave to Clinton under similar circumstances in 1996.) Advantage: Bush
2. Iraq and our foreign policy generally are not current pluses for Bush, but there are genuine rays of sunlight. The June 30 handover appears to be going better than expected so far, the United Nations is joining the action once again, and our most critical allies are lightening up and even helping the United States. By contrast, Carter had an intractable mess in Iran, and little hope of resolving it before the election. Advantage: Bush
3. President Bush's popularity has stabilized in the mid-to-upper 40s, after a dangerous period of flirting with the below-40 mark--which signals almost certain electoral doom. Bush is not yet in safe territory (above 50), but he is far from the 30s dungeon frequented by President Carter in 1980 and his own father in 1992. Advantage: Bush
4. John Anderson of Illinois, the former Republican congressman, actually rated in the mid-20s in most public opinion polls in the spring and summer of 1980, before declining, as most third party presidential candidates do in the fall, and finishing at 7 percent on Election Day. By contrast, Ralph Nader, on average, is around 5 percent or 6 percent now, and we believe he is headed for a finish below his 2.7 percent in 2000. There is no question that Nader's relative weakness in 2004 aids John Kerry, yet the focus this year is more clearly on a straight choice of Bush or Kerry. A strong historical argument can be made that when a third-party candidate is on the rise and faring well, it signals intense dissatisfaction with the incumbent White House and the likely downfall of the incumbent president in November (Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt in 1912, George Wallace in 1968, John Anderson in 1980, Ross Perot in 1992, Ralph Nader in 2000). As always, the twentieth century exception was the ultimate presidential comeback kid, Harry Truman in 1948, who survived strong third-party bids by Strom Thurmond on the right and Henry Wallace on the left. (See our discussion of Bush as Truman at http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/updates_04-05-20.htm) So, to conclude, the decline of a strong third-party alternative in 2004 could actually be read as a good sign for Bush. Advantage: Bush
5. It almost goes without saying that John Kerry is no Ronald Reagan. Of course, George Bush isn't either. We have often called "W" the most inarticulate president of our lifetime. But one could argue that it takes the special skill of a Great Communicator like Reagan (or Bill Clinton in 1992) to oust an incumbent president, given all the inherent advantages that accrue to the occupant of the White House. While Kerry partisans will no doubt insist that their man is "good in small groups" and all the rest, his presence on the big stage is, well, lacking. His face appears to crack when he smiles, and the Democrat is often a cross between a funeral director and Lurch of The Addams Family. Advantage: Bush

There, we feel much better now. The Crystal Ball's role, at least on occasion, is to contradict conventional wisdom, not add weight to it. Also, we've now come down squarely on both sides of the fence, guaranteeing that we will be right (and wrong) come Nov. 2!

Revisionist Christianity

The Archbishop of Canterbury has approved a rewriting of the Bible entitled "Good as New." It is supposed to make the Bible more acceptable by "irreligious" people. It seems that St Paul has taken many of the revisions.
In Corinthians, Paul says, "It is well for a man not to touch a woman. But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband." Well, that's just too old-fashioned for today's enlightened generation. Now the words being put in St Paul's mouth are, "Some of you think the best way to cope with sex is for men and women to keep right away from each other. That is more likely to lead to sexual offences. My advice is for everyone to have a regular partner."
Why is society so desperate to distance itself from individual responsibility? Now we are seeing a form of Christianity in which sin does not exist. It does exist, there is a hell and satan is not some guy in red with a pitchfork.
Many of us just shrug and think that it is just a fad that will pass and continue on with our lives. It's not a fad, we have to be sure in our faith and not be afraid to express them. We must make sure that the Church does not become some quaint thing that we used to believe in.

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Added to the Beltway Traffic Jam on Outside the Beltway.

Coast Guard Responds to Hoax

Whenever we hear someone on the radio say that they are in distress, we respond. Unfortunately that means we often respond to what seems to be a hoax. Not only does this waste valuable resources, it also puts Coasties' lives in danger.

Operation Tiger Claw

High school student, Bryan Henderson, takes on political correctness at his high school. His words and pictures are on the Protest Warrior website.

A few days went by with no sign of a verdict from the principal. Actually, it was a nice break from the chaos and it gave me time to reflect over all that was happening. I have to admit being called a racist, a bastard, and being threatened hurt. I had seen first-hand just how angry and blind the left could be. The school year's end was fast approaching and I began to doubt I would be allowed to repost the signs - perhaps freedom of speech would not prevail over political correctness at my school.

Yahoo! News - Board Upholds R Rating for 'Fahrenheit'

Board Upholds R Rating for 'Fahrenheit' However, the commercials still say that the film isn't rated.

Is this real world or exercise.

Divided we fall.

Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of Flight 77, writes on the 9/11 Commission.

Today, the great hopes I had for an independent, bipartisan investigation into the events of 9/11 have given way to great sadness. After the Senate and House Joint Inquiry into intelligence activities leading up to 9/11 was published in 2002, I had a different perspective about who was responsible for the attacks. It was everyone, and no one. It was the systemic and institutional problems in the information-gathering, analysis and reporting structures of our dozen or more intelligence agencies. It was the legal barriers that prevented law enforcement and intelligence services from talking to each other. It was Cold War modalities that no longer applied to very evil men with apocalyptic delusions operating in adaptive networks with cell phones and laptops, and supported by millions and millions of dollars. It was our own fat complacency, refusing to see what was happening around us as American soldiers, sailors and civilians were being blown up abroad. It was the airline lobbyists who looked after their well-heeled clients as we fashioned airline security measures that called upon ACLU lawyers rather than law enforcement experts for advice about passenger screening.

Added to the Beltway Traffic Jam on Outside the Beltway.

Internet Timewaster

Play dueling archers at bowman.

Hat Tip: Brain Shavings

United States Coast Guard at D-Day

Service Historian: “One of the bloodiest days in Coast Guard History.”
Coast Guard Reflects on 60th Anniversary of D-Day Participation

WASHINGTON – “Going into the beach it looked like the beach was covered with driftwood—when we got close we realized the beach was covered with bodies,” noted U.S. Coast Guard Radioman 3rd Class Leroy C. Bowen, Jr., crewman aboard LCI 83 that landed Allied forces and extracted wounded from French beaches 60 years ago Sunday.

Bowen’s landing craft was one of many Coast Guard-manned ships that participated in the D-Day landings June 6, 1944—a day that would prove to be one of the bloodiest in the Coast Guard’s long history. According to Coast Guard Historian Scott Price, of the 99 Coast Guard-manned warships that participated during D-Day missions, six were lost and many others seriously damaged; 18 Coast Guardsmen died and 38 others wounded.

VADM James D. Hull, the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area Commander represented the service during D-Day commemorations in Normandy. Elsewhere, Coast Guard units around the world took a moment to reflect on this significant moment in its service’s history before returning its focus on securing the nation against terrorist attacks.

Coast Guardsmen manned transport ships that carried soldiers from England to French shores; manned landing craft that delivered soldiers to French beaches and extracted wounded under heavy German small arms and artillery fire; and manned patrol craft that escorted U.S. and British landing craft to and from beach landings and plucked wounded sailors and soldiers from the churning, bloody surf.

Many heroes cemented their legacy in U.S. History that fateful day and among them were several Coast Guardsmen. To view the list of decorated Coast Guard D-Day heroes, visit http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Dcp/history/Normandy_Heroes.html.

As for Radioman 3rd Class Bowen, his landing craft, LCI-83, contacted a mine that blew out a portion of the bottom and forward part of number one troop compartment. He and his shipmates abandoned their ship and raced to the beach with their just-landed infantry passengers where they waited until low tide. While under heavy enemy fire, Bowen and his shipmates returned to LCI-83 and patched the hull well enough to rush back to England for repairs.

For more background into the U.S. Coast Guard’s vital role during the D-Day invasion to liberate France, visit http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/Normandy_Index.html or call the Coast Guard Historian in Washington, DC at (202) 267-2596.
For Coast Guard World War II information, visit http://www.uscg.mil/news/WWII/WWII.htm.
For more Coast Guard news and information, visit http://www.uscg.mil/news/cgnews.shtm.

Unfairenheit 9/11

Unfairenheit 9/11 - The lies of Michael Moore. By Christopher Hitchens I don't read slate much but this is a great article. I hope that this film destroys Michael Moore's "credibility."

A few excerpts;

To describe this film as dishonest and demagogic would almost be to promote those terms to the level of respectability. To describe this film as a piece of crap would be to run the risk of a discourse that would never again rise above the excremental. To describe it as an exercise in facile crowd-pleasing would be too obvious. Fahrenheit 9/11 is a sinister exercise in moral frivolity, crudely disguised as an exercise in seriousness. It is also a spectacle of abject political cowardice masking itself as a demonstration of "dissenting" bravery.

......

A film that bases itself on a big lie and a big misrepresentation can only sustain itself by a dizzying succession of smaller falsehoods, beefed up by wilder and (if possible) yet more-contradictory claims. President Bush is accused of taking too many lazy vacations. (What is that about, by the way? Isn't he supposed to be an unceasing planner for future aggressive wars?) But the shot of him "relaxing at Camp David" shows him side by side with Tony Blair. I say "shows," even though this photograph is on-screen so briefly that if you sneeze or blink, you won't recognize the other figure. A meeting with the prime minister of the United Kingdom, or at least with this prime minister, is not a goof-off.

....

Indeed, Moore's affected and ostentatious concern for black America is one of the most suspect ingredients of his pitch package. In a recent interview, he yelled that if the hijacked civilians of 9/11 had been black, they would have fought back, unlike the stupid and presumably cowardly white men and women (and children). Never mind for now how many black passengers were on those planes—we happen to know what Moore does not care to mention: that Todd Beamer and a few of his co-passengers, shouting "Let's roll," rammed the hijackers with a trolley, fought them tooth and nail, and helped bring down a United Airlines plane, in Pennsylvania, that was speeding toward either the White House or the Capitol. There are no words for real, impromptu bravery like that, which helped save our republic from worse than actually befell. The Pennsylvania drama also reminds one of the self-evident fact that this war is not fought only "overseas" or in uniform, but is being brought to our cities. Yet Moore is a silly and shady man who does not recognize courage of any sort even when he sees it because he cannot summon it in himself. To him, easy applause, in front of credulous audiences, is everything.

That is a very small sampling of the article. I highly recommend reading the entire column.

Michael Moore is a perfect example of if you keep telling a lie, no matter how big, over and over again, people will eventually take it as the truth. That is what Moore is doing. He is parroting, "Bush lied!" The truth is, "Moore Lied."

Hat tip Southern Appeal.

Sometimes Clinton is too Honest

Southern Appeal hits the nail on the head.

Hindsight is always 20/20

William Safire talks about how the 9/11 commission is getting out of control.

"Don't blame the media for jumping on the politically charged Zelikow report. Blame the commission's leaders for ducking responsibility for its interim findings. Kean and Hamilton have allowed themselves to be jerked around by a manipulative staff.

I hate how this commissionhas become so political. But it was totally inevitable. The only purpose I see it having is to gather up primary sources of information that historians will explore in years to come. Hopefully, they'll be a little more objective in their finding.

If there was to be a congressional commission, it should have been formed in a non-election year.

Time Killer

Here's a good timewaster website.Homestar Runner Be sure to check out Strongbad's emails. Click on sbemail at the bottom. Enjoy!

This is the enemy.

This is who we are fighting! Extremely Graphic Photos!

KERRY LIED!!

My Aisling has the truth on Kerry's assertion that there are more blacks in prison than in college.

Let me turn on CNN and see what they have to say about this. That's funny, nothing's being said. Hmmm.

New rites for Vt. civil unions

The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont has decided to approve a liturgy for civil unions. This is depsite the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury to hold off on such things until the bishops meet in England later on this fall.

Of course the vast majority of the bishops in the Anglican Communion are opposed to what the Episcopal Church is doing. Has anyone else noticed that when a few countries oppose our actions in Iraq, the liberals are up in arms about us "alienating" the enitre world but when quite a substantial number of dioceses around the world oppose the election of a homosexual bishop, there's no mention of "world opinion."

The Bishop of Vermont Thomas Ely is quoted as saying, ''The commitment we are asking of persons who are entering into holy unions is of the same nature as the commitment we are asking of couples who are entering holy matrimony." He is actually calling these Holy Unions! What an affront to the explicit teachings of the Bible.

It seems to be a movement in the United States that people are no longer responsible for their actions. The line of thought goes that if you say someone is wrong, then you are making a judgement. That isn't right since it is intolerant. Therefore, there can be no sin since that is saying that someone is wrong.

There is good and evil in this world and we better start realizing it soon.

Tracked back to Outside the Beltway

Moxie

Moxie has put up her take on the Stem Cell debate.

No One Asked Us.

Little Green Footballs has a great essay written by a Marine Corps Reserve Major who served in Iraq. Here's an excerpt:

The war was the right thing to do then, and in hindsight it was still the right thing to do. We can’t overthrow every murderous tyrant in the world, but when we can, we should. Take it from someone who was there, and who stood to lose everything. We must, and will, stay the course. We owe it to the Iraqis, and to the world.

Terrorism Fallacies

Citizen Smash is going to disect the 9/11 Commission report. Specifically, he is going to address what he calls Terrorism Fallacies. I have been involved in Anti-Terrorism since 1996 and, like Smash, have noticed that the general public really doesn't know much about international terrorism. Granted, they know more post-9/11 than they did before. Smash's article promises to be a very interesting read.

Will 2004 be a repeat of 1980?

Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball documents the similarities of this election year and 1980.

The similarities to 2004 are many:

• Foreign policy seemed a mess, with the United States bogged down in a protracted crisis in the Middle East (Iran in 1980, Iraq in 2004).


• Americans were unhappy about the economy, and gloomy about their financial futures.


• Our primary international enemy appeared to be on the march and achieving major goals (the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in 1980, al Qaeda and terrorism in 2004).


• As a consequence of all this, a sizeable majority said the country was seriously off on the wrong track.


• Many voters, approaching or exceeding a majority, questioned whether the incumbent President and his team were competent enough to handle the myriad challenges before them.


• An independent candidate for President added to the confusion of the election (John Anderson in 1980, Ralph Nader in 2004).


• The country as a whole was uncertain what to do, and torn between keeping the devil they knew--Carter, Bush--or turning to an untested and ideologically 'extreme' alternative--Reagan on the right, Kerry on the left.

Amazing, isn't it? And remember how unreliable the polls were for much of 1980. In the Gallup survey, for instance, Carter led Reagan substantially early in the year, but gradually the race became a seesaw statistical dead heat, with one or the other candidate ahead by just a few points all the way to late October.

Outside the Beltway

Outside the Beltway's daily Beltway Traffic Jam is now up. Enjoy!

This kills me.

Once again, college journalism shows its ignorance. Here is a Daily Mississippian column on President Reagan. It starts off by saying, "the Anti-Christ is dead," and steadily goes downhill from there.

Who is ANSWER?

Citizen Smash has a great account of his experience in crashing an ANSWER protest march. It's a few days old but it's worth a read.

If you haven't already, check out Protest Warrior's site.

Cross Purposes

The Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch brings us the latest from our friends at the ACLU. Whose motto is: "We don't hate religion, just Christianity!"

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals - the same court that ruled "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional - now has declared unconstitutional a large white cross in the Mojave Desert, and for the same reason.

The cross - a war memorial erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars - stands in the Mojave National Preserve. The ACLU sued the Park Service three years ago, claiming it violates the separation of church and state. The Ninth Circuit agreed.

"This case is really quite simple," said an ACLU lawyer. "Using a sectarian religious symbol is not permissible on federal land. Sometimes you just have to hit them over the head three, four, or five times . . . .If we want to have a war memorial on federal land, the government certainly knows how to do that without using a divisive sectarian religious symbol."

. . . Actually, "you just have to hit them over the head" a few hundred thousand times, if not more. Headstones at Arlington National Cemetery have crosses engraved on them. So do headstones at the scores of other national cemeteries across the country.

Perhaps the ACLU thinks all those headstones should be replaced. We'd suggest letting the dead rest in peace.

UPDATE Outside the Beltway's daily Beltway Traffic Jam is now up. Enjoy!

Power Line: Can "Anybody" Beat Bush?

Power Line: Can "Anybody" Beat Bush? The Powerline talks about the ABB phenomenon. Is the hatred the left has for Bush enough to defeat him? Maybe I am my view of this is colored by my hope that Bush is victorious in November. It just seems like the left is focusing on negatives. Whereas the Bush campaign is focusing on positives. I feel that the electorate responds better to the positives. That was Reagan's appeal. "It's morning in America," and the many citations of the "shining city on a hill" resonated with voters.

Welcome

Welcome to my attempt to blog. I've been reading them for so long that I finally decided to try it myself. I suspect that the attempt will make me really appreciate just how difficult it really is.

I plan to talk about current events, especially politics. I'll try to drop a few other random posts on other subjects as well. Some things I imagine I'll talk about are books that I'm reading, recipes that I tried (and liked) and maybe some stuff about my dog. We'll see how it goes.

Thank you for taking the time to check me out.